Standard Bank May Buy Guaranty of Nigeria, Analysts Say

Standard Bank Group Ltd., which this year reversed international expansion plans to focus on Africa, may consider buying a stake in Nigeria’s Guaranty Trust Bank Plc, the most profitable of the country’s biggest banks.

Africa’s largest lender said last month it may buy a consumer bank in Nigeria. Guaranty, Nigeria’s second-biggest lender, is the most likely target because of its high return on equity and wide margins, according to Ilan Stermer, a Johannesburg-based banking analyst at Renaissance Capital.