TEA Cup Honours: Bill Winters for Banking on the Future
From tokenisation to talent, Standard Chartered’s chief proves that traditional finance can still set the pace for nextgen impact.
Last week, we recognised Dr José Viñals, the outgoing Chair of Standard Chartered, for his principled stewardship and global perspective. This week, as Standard Chartered approaches its 2025 Annual General Meeting, we reaffirm our recognition of Bill Winters, Group Chief Executive, as a TEA Cups Honouree.
His nearly decade-long leadership exemplifies the qualities we celebrate at TEA: visionary thinking, a commitment to meaningful innovation, and an unwavering focus on fostering the next generation of leaders.
🌍 Championing the Next Generation
Winters doesn’t just talk about the future—he builds it.
He serves on UNICEF’s Generation Unlimited Global Leadership Council, championing youth entrepreneurship and skilling-up the next generation of changemakers, especially across emerging markets. These aren’t vanity roles. They reflect a serious, systemic belief in building long-term economic resilience by backing young people with real opportunity.
🔗 Reimagining TradFi: Token by Token
Under his stewardship, Standard Chartered has become quietly radical. Through SC Ventures, the bank has launched initiatives like:
Zodia – providing institutional digital asset custody
Libeara – focused on tokenised financial instruments
Partnerships in embedded finance, blockchain, and AI-enabled treasury tools
Winters isn’t dabbling. He’s laying infrastructure for the next evolution of global finance. He’s also said publicly that “the vast majority of financial assets will eventually be tokenised.” That’s more than a forecast—it’s a call to action.
For a deeper insight into Winters' vision, watch his discussion on the future of banking:
🌱 Sustainable Finance With Teeth
Standard Chartered under Winters has pledged to mobilise $300 billion in green and sustainable finance by 2030. In 2024 alone, the bank earned nearly $1 billion in sustainability-linked income—showing that ESG can be both ethical and economically sound.
The bank’s Transition Plan to net-zero isn’t vague rhetoric. It’s detailed, science-based, and investor-aligned. That’s TEA Cup material.
💬 Yes, the Pay Debate Is Real
Executive compensation remains a sensitive and nuanced issue—particularly in today’s climate of heightened scrutiny, cost-of-living pressures, and increasing shareholder activism. It's no surprise that Standard Chartered’s proposed revisions to its remuneration policy have drawn attention, including a recommendation from ISS to vote against the changes.
At the same time, it’s worth considering the broader context.
Bill Winters is one of the longest-serving CEOs in the FTSE 100, guiding Standard Chartered through a decade marked by global volatility, regulatory shifts, and digital disruption. He leads a bank operating across some of the world’s most challenging and dynamic markets. In similar roles at US-based institutions, executives of this calibre are often compensated at significantly higher levels.
This isn’t just about pay—it’s about parity and retention. If the UK is to remain globally competitive and retain transformational talent within its leadership ranks, it must grapple honestly with what that requires.
🏁 A Legacy That Deserves the Cup
Since taking the helm in 2015, Bill Winters has built a smarter, greener, more digital Standard Chartered—without abandoning the core values of long-termism, trust, and institutional credibility. That’s a rare combination.
So while others debate the bonus structure, we’re raising a toast to substance, staying power, and systems change from the inside out.