(JUBA, SOUTH SUDAN) – Banks in South Sudan are being urged to adopt artificial intelligence to widen access to financial services, while guarding against privacy, security and bias risks as the technology spreads.
Stanbic Bank South Sudan said AI is already helping financial institutions deliver faster services, strengthen fraud detection, improve customer experiences and support better decision making. The bank’s IT analyst, Mabil Deng, made the case during a session hosted by Scenius Hub, an innovation space in Juba, in October 2026.
Deng said responsible adoption remains critical as use of the technology grows. He said organisations must keep addressing challenges around privacy, security, bias and emerging digital risks.
Looking ahead, Deng said AI could help tackle some of South Sudan’s biggest financial inclusion challenges. These include reaching underserved communities, serving customers without formal credit histories and expanding access to financial services through digital channels.
Stanbic Bank South Sudan has operated in the country since 2012, when it entered as a branch of the Kenyan holding company. The subsidiary has weathered significant volatility in its South Sudan operations, reporting a profit after tax of SSP 13.8 billion ($1.86 million) in 2025, a 32% increase from SSP 10.1 billion ($1.36 million) in 2024, according to Stanbic Holdings’ financial results reported by The Standard in March 2026.
The recovery followed the resumption of oil exports in May 2025, which had been disrupted by the conflict in neighbouring Sudan. At the October 2026 parallel market rate of about SSP 7,439 to the dollar, the 2025 profit translates to roughly SSP 13.8 billion, and the 2024 figure to about SSP 10.1 billion.
Scenius Hub is a youth development and innovation centre in Juba founded in 2021. It provides space for entrepreneurship, creativity and technology training, with a membership of more than 600 individuals, according to the hub’s website. The hub says it facilitated more than 150 physical, hybrid and online events in 2025, engaging an estimated 4,000 participants. In July 2025, it hosted the first IndabaX South Sudan, a local chapter of the Deep Learning Indaba network focused on machine learning and AI.
Deep Learning Indaba, which the bank thanked alongside Scenius Hub, is a pan African AI community founded in 2017. It runs an annual gathering and supports local chapters across the continent through its IndabaX programme, with a mission to strengthen machine learning and AI in Africa.
The discussion comes as South Sudan’s banking sector remains small and cash heavy. About 80% of the adult population lack bank accounts, according to a 2025 study published by the African Economic Research Consortium. Mobile money has expanded in recent years, but access to credit and formal accounts remains limited, particularly outside urban centres.
