Nairobi, Sept. 2 -- Standard Bank Group aims to firm its business grip in East Africa, taking on its South African rivals including Absa Group and Nedbank Group.

Standard Bank Chief Executive Officer, Sim Tshabalala, said that the bank aims to grow in the region by increasing internal business rather than through mergers and acquisitions.

"Traditionally the way we have grown as a bank is that we enter markets by starting with corporate and investment banking and then developing our capabilities in business and commercial banking for the middle market and then for retail," he said in an interview during a visit to Nairobi.

"In 10 years, we want to have a universal bank in East Africa, and we are going to do that whether organically or i...