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Absa Group, the Johannesburg-based financial services provider led by South African business executive Kenny Fihla, has expanded its collaboration with Amazon Web Services to speed up its digital transformation and migration to the cloud.
The agreement, which prefers AWS as Absa's cloud provider, underscores the bank’s efforts to compete more effectively by becoming fully cloud-native. That shift is set to help deliver faster, more secure, and more personalized services across its markets.
Deepening 10 years' ties
Absa and AWS's ties date back to 2015, when the bank started moving its work to the cloud. Since then, Absa has invested in building its own expertise through programs like its Cloud Incubator, which has trained more than 1,500 employees. It has also supported community programs that help people strengthen their digital skills.
Absa plans to use more data, analytics, and artificial intelligence in all of its operations now that AWS is its main partner. “This partnership reflects our ambition to be a digitally powered financial institution that delivers exceptional value to our customers,” said Johnson Idesoh, Absa’s Group Chief Information and Technology Officer. “Moving more services to AWS will modernize our infrastructure, enable faster innovation, strengthen resilience, and enhance security.”
Expanding digital inclusion and skills
The collaboration goes beyond core banking technology and also includes the Women in Tech initiative and skills development, which is now in its third year.
Additionally, the program provides free cloud training and certification to 150 unemployed women across South Africa, Kenya, Botswana, Uganda, and Ghana. “This is about more than cloud,” Idesoh said. “Together, we’re investing in people, communities, and the future of inclusive digital economies across Africa. Choosing a cloud provider with a data center on the continent reflects our commitment to both innovation and local investment.”
The timing also aligns with rising regulatory oversight across Africa, where policymakers are pressing banks to strengthen oversight of technology outsourcing and cloud risks. By hosting more services at AWS’s Cape Town data center, Absa aims to meet data sovereignty requirements while also reducing latency and improving system resilience.
The future of AI-powered banking and leadership
Absa, which has more than 12 million customers in 10 countries, has in recent times named Kenny Fihla as its new Group CEO in June 2025. Fihla, who worked at Standard Bank for 20 years before joining the lender, is now leading it into its next phase of growth, which will focus on AI-driven banking.
The bigger AWS partnership is likely to be a key part of that plan. Absa wants to use AI to give people very personalized experiences, better risk insights, and better ways to make decisions. Executives say this is a step toward using digital technology in all parts of the business, from small and medium-sized businesses to corporate partners.
Fihla and his leadership team see the stronger ties with AWS as a big step toward making Absa a modern, tech-savvy bank that can compete in Africa's rapidly changing financial sector.
