Hot SourceGhana International Bank (GHIB) has entered into a strategic partnership with Vista Bank Group to improve access to trade finance and correspondent banking services across West African markets.
The agreement was signed in London during CNVERGE ’25, GHIB’s flagship conference themed “Rethinking Commodity Finance for Growth”.
Under the partnership, GHIB becomes the primary correspondent banking partner for Vista Bank Group’s operations in Gambia, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Burkina Faso, and Guinea. The collaboration is expected to expand access to international credit lines, cross-border payments, and trade finance solutions for businesses, particularly small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).
“This partnership represents a tangible expression of our commitment to be Africa’s bridge to international finance and correspondent banking,” Dean Adansi, Chief Executive Officer of GHIB, said at the signing.
“We provide African Banking Groups like Vista the critical access for funding, international trade finance and global payments that allows for expansion and growth. We have kept faith in providing this access to Africa since 1959 and are honoured to now deliver the same to the Vista Group,” Mr. Adansi added.
Vista Bank Group, through Vista Group Holding SA, operates as a pan-African financial services organisation with a focus on SME banking, trade finance, leasing and bancassurance. Its managing director in France, Serge Raymond, said the deal strengthens the group’s ability to connect its markets with global financial systems.
“Ghana International Bank has become our gateway to the global financial system. Where other international banks have been unable to provide the access we need, GHIB has demonstrated genuine commitment to African development through practical banking solutions. This partnership enables us to serve the backbone of African economies—the SMEs in Banjul, Dakar, Freetown, Ouagadougou, and Conakry—with world-class trade finance capabilities,” Mr. Raymond noted.
The partnership, which will be implemented through GHIB’s established correspondent banking infrastructure, will provide access to letters of credit, guarantees, foreign exchange, and international payments. Both institutions say the arrangement will help address longstanding gaps in African trade finance, strengthen intra-African cooperation, and support the goals of economic integration and financial inclusion.
Mr. Adansi stressed that GHIB’s strategy was focused on building continental unity in financial services. “At GHIB, we recognise no artificial divisions within Africa. This partnership with Vista Bank Group demonstrates that African financial institutions can collaborate effectively across linguistic and cultural boundaries to create sophisticated banking solutions that serve our continent’s development priorities,” he said.
About CONVERGE
CONVERGE is GHIB’s flagship thought leadership conference specifically designed to harness the bank’s extensive experience and leverage its network of partners, clients, and even competitors. CONVERGE has been structured off the Bank’s acclaimed ‘Summer School’, which has upskilled many West African banking, treasury, and corporate executives over many years.
Through this platform, the bank aims to initiate a continuous series of roundtables focused on generating, discussing, and implementing new ideas to foster the growth of African trade. For more information about Converge, please visit https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/converge-conference-ghib/
About GHIB
GHIB is a regulated legal entity registered in the United Kingdom. The Bank has been present for 65 years in the City of London, one of the world’s leading financial centres, serving Financial Institutions, Sovereign States and Parastatals, Corporates, SMEs and the diaspora. GHIB’s unique status as a Ghanaian owned bank authorised by the UK.
Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA) and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), the PRA allows the Bank to intermediate between international and African markets by combining knowledge of the African continent with international correspondent banking links to bring bespoke solutions to its customers and partners.
Trade Finance is GHIB’s leading business with Correspondent and Corporate Banking, Treasury and Transactional Banking supporting the Trade business. For more information about GHIB and its products and services, please visit https://www.ghanabank.co.uk.
About Vista Group
Vista Group, owned by Lilium Group LLC, offers a full range of innovative banking products, solutions, and services accessible to everyone, including individuals, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), businesses, and governments.
It helps to promote financial inclusion, economic growth, and prosperity in its countries of operation. Vista Group is a financial services holding company that is building a world-class pan-African financial institution group that contributes to economic growth and financial inclusion in Africa.
Vista has entered into strategic partnerships with various global financial institutions to drive its growth strategy by focusing on MSME (SME banking, leasing, factoring, mesofinance, women’s banking, etc.), trade and supply chain finance, corporate banking and bancassurance.
Through these partnerships, Vista also aims to increase profitability while reducing operating costs and mitigating risk. Vista Group is focused on maximising the opportunities in its respective markets to become the financial institution of choice through its innovative banking and insurance products. For more information about Vista Bank and its products and services, please visit https://vistabankgroup.com
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