Banking

Great news for Standard Bank customers in South Africa

Staff Writer

 ·1 Apr 2026

Following the launch of four new Smart ID branches in March, Standard Bank has now expanded the service to 30 branches nationwide.

Home Affairs Minister Leon Schreiber announced on Wednesday (1 April) that the country had hit the milestone of having 100 Smart ID-enabled branches by the end of the 2025/26 financial year.

The department previously committed to having 100 additional branches active for Smart ID services by this date, with the medium-term goal of hitting 1,000 branches by the end of 2028/29.

The DHA is achieving this by rolling out a new digital system for Smart IDs in partnerships with all the major retail banks in the country.

Capitec, which is offering Smart ID services for the first time, has been a fundamental part of the drive, having opened 67 Smart ID branches in a single month.

Standard Bank has, so far, been the second largest contributor to the initiative, now totalling 30 branches offering the services, including the seven that were part of the original 2015 pilot programme.

According to Standard Bank, these original branches are still active, with online-only applications:

• Branch in Killarney Mall, Johannesburg
• 5 Simmonds Street, Johannesburg
• Branch in Centurion Lifestyle, City of Tshwane
• Branch in Canal Walk in Century City, Cape Town
• 1 Kingsmead Way, Durban
• Branch in Jubilee Mall, City of Tshwane
• 1 Pickering Street, Newton Park, Gqeberha

The newer system, which uses in-branch applications, can now also be accessed at 23 locations.

Customers can visit one of the selected branches to scan fingerprints, have pictures taken, and to collect the new or reissued Smart ID.

As is the case with Capitec, the new digital services are restricted to banking customers of the specific bank. This is due to transactions being handled through registered bank accounts.

The new branches are:

Gauteng

• Boksburg, Gauteng
• Central City, Gauteng
• Mamelodi Crossing, Gauteng
• Westgate Mall, Roodepoort, Johannesburg
• Branch in Maponya Mall in Soweto, Johannesburg

Free State

• Bloemfontein, Free State

Western Cape

• CapeGate Shopping Centre, Cape Town
• Khayelitsha, Cape Town
• Parow Centre, Cape Town

KwaZulu-Natal

• Bridge City, KwaZulu-Natal
• Chatsworth Centre, KwaZulu-Natal
• Midlands, KwaZulu-Natal
• Westown Square, Shongweni, Pinetown, KwaZulu-Natal

Northern Cape

• Kimberley, Northern Cape

North West

• Klerksdorp, North West
• Lichtenburg, North West
• Vryburg, North West

Eastern Cape

• East London, Eastern Cape

Mpumalanga

• Kwagga Plaza Shopping Centre, Mpumalanga
• Nelspruit Crossing Shopping Centre, Mpumalanga
• Secunda, Mpumalanga

Limpopo

• Modimolle, Limpopo
• Tzaneen, Limpopo

According to Schreiber, even more bank branches are expected to come online in the coming months, with FNB also opening its first branches this week.

“Just three weeks after launch, 110 bank branches are live across South Africa with over 25,000 IDs processed,” he said.

The minister noted that the department has expanded access to Smart ID services by 44% in 21 days.