Stanbic Bank Ghana Limited has won the Global Custodian Excellence Award for 2010 with the award of Top Rated Score in the Cross-Border category, for the whole of Africa. The award, based on the annual Global Custodian Emerging Markets Survey, is conducted by the Global Custodian Magazine. The survey rates the service quality of custodians across some 66 markets, based solely on clients’ perceptions. Hitherto, the bank had received Commended Ratings, the second highest level of the survey, in 2007 and 2009. Speaking in an interview, Mr. William Sowah, the Head of Investor Services at Stanbic Bank Ghana, said ‘The rating is an international recognition that every serious bank hopes to achieve, and it bestows a reputable standing in the custodial industry on the recipient’. In addition to the Top rating, the bank has also received ‘Best in Class’ awards, in ten out of the eleven designated service areas of the survey. ‘This is an improvement over 2009, when we got five out of the eleven ‘Best in Class’ awards’ Mr. Sowah added. Interestingly, other members of the Standard Bank group, who currently operate in 13 markets across the continent, also picked up Commended Ratings. Kenya, Nigeria, Botswana, Swaziland and Zambia emerged tops in other categories. Mr. Sowah stated, ‘Standard Bank is the largest operator of custodial services in Africa. It emphasizes our leadership in the industry.’ Mr. Sowah is optimistic that the award is an indicator that Ghana’s investor market is coming of age. ‘With the presence of a vibrant Stock Exchange, an automated trading environment, depositories for equities and government securities, Ghana’s investor platforms are beginning to align with global best practices.’ He added that these market platforms have gone a long way to assist the bank in winning this award, as well as enhancing Ghana’s image as an emerging market. He commended the service regulators for creating this fertile business environment, adding that it speaks a lot to the growth of investor relations in Ghana.