Standard Chartered now offers cryptocurrency trading to affluent clients in the United Arab Emirates. Wealthy investors can trade Bitcoin and Ether directly through their current bank accounts, where orders are processed seamlessly within their existing financial setup.
Based on the bank’s official statement, Dubai’s Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority (VARA) has granted regulatory approval for the new offering, which will roll out first to UAE-based Professional Investor clients as it is launched across the region.
This service enables clients to trade digital assets without registering on external exchanges or managing private wallets. Standard Chartered directly manages storage and settlement, ensuring all transaction details are handled securely within its existing banking ecosystem.
The institution framed the rollout as its inaugural digital asset trading facility for high-net-worth investors worldwide, representing the first product of this kind to be introduced by an international lender in the UAE.
Standard Chartered created the platform through joint efforts across its Wealth and Retail Banking alongside Corporate and Investment Banking units, partnering with Zodia Markets, a crypto entity backed by the bank’s venture arm, SC Ventures.
The institution intends to roll out the offering to additional regions eventually, though specific target nations are omitted from its current announcements along with a clear deployment timeline.
Standard Chartered Adds Crypto Trading to Wealth Management Accounts
Through this updated framework, qualifying clients can seamlessly acquire and exchange Bitcoin (BTC) and Ether (ETH) while utilizing their current Standard Chartered accounts, through which transfers are routed during each transaction.
The service operates on a closed-loop framework, allowing the institution to oversee trade execution, asset custody, and ultimate settlement directly, ensuring client funds are protected without relying on third-party digital wallets.
Standard Chartered noted that executives created this architecture to lower risks linked to external wallets while delivering robust operational protections and institutional custody that is delivered through its primary network.
Zodia Markets collaborates with the bank’s wealth and investment banking teams to provide specialized crypto expertise, ensuring all trade orders are integrated smoothly into the overall market structure.
The bank’s press release omitted details regarding entry thresholds, service charges, volume caps, or whether additional digital tokens are slated for future inclusion alongside Bitcoin and Ether.
Samir Subberwal, Global Head of Wealth Solutions, Retail Products, Data & Analytics at Standard Chartered, emphasized that client appetite for digital assets rapidly expanded across the firm’s private wealth operations, where strategic priorities are aligned to meet growing market demand.
“With digital assets moving into mainstream wealth conversations, clients are increasingly looking not only for access, but also for the security, trust and confidence that comes from investing through a regulated and trusted institution,”
Subberwal said.
Prior to rolling out direct digital asset trading, Standard Chartered had already enabled qualified private clients to trade crypto-backed exchange-traded funds, which were offered through its established cash equities desk.
The firm’s established product lineup encompassed structured instruments and over-the-counter derivative contracts, through which crypto market exposure was provided to interested investors.
This updated offering incorporates direct Bitcoin and Ethereum trading into the bank’s suite of investment choices, while internal safeguards ensure that custody and settlement are managed directly by the institution.
UAE Launch Follows Standard Chartered’s Institutional Crypto Trading Expansion
Standard Chartered’s recent UAE debut builds upon a roster of digital asset features previously rolled out for institutional users over the last two years, during which fresh operational frameworks were established to support expanding market activities.
During September 2026, the financial institution launched spot trading capabilities for Bitcoin and Ether catering to institutional investors through its Dubai International Financial Centre location, where market orders are filled directly within its regulated desk setup.
This institutional offering enabled qualified users to execute deliverable BTC and ETH transactions through the bank’s primary electronic trading portals and FX desks, where trade parameters were adjusted automatically for seamless settlement.
These institutional clients could select their favored custody partner for transaction clearing, through which safe-keeping choices were customized using Standard Chartered’s proprietary digital asset custody service or external alternatives.
This institutional setup operates differently from the newly unveiled wealth product, in which trade execution, asset custody, and transaction clearing are maintained within the bank’s closed-loop framework.
Standard Chartered’s UAE institutional trading expansion followed the July 2025 rollout of spot cryptocurrency trading through its UK hub, where institutional market operations were established to anchor its global digital asset strategy.
The earlier offering catered to institutional clients, including corporate entities, asset managers, and professional market participants, supporting Bitcoin and Ether trades through legacy foreign exchange trading systems through which orders were routed efficiently.
The financial institution expanded into the UAE digital asset safekeeping sector in September 2024 after obtaining full regulatory authorization from the Dubai Financial Services Authority within the DIFC, where institutional-grade custody protocols were instituted to protect client holdings.
Brevan Howard Digital served as the premiere client for the asset protection platform, on which Bitcoin and Ether holdings were designated as the initial supported tokens.
To support its newly launched wealth offering, Standard Chartered secured regulatory licensing approval from VARA, according to the official statement, through which full compliance was verified prior to rollout.
Rola Abu Manneh, Chief Executive Officer for the UAE, Middle East and Pakistan at Standard Chartered, highlighted the nation as an ideal base for the rollout due to its progressive regulatory framework and supportive stance on digital asset innovation, where new financial avenues are championed to foster economic growth.
“The UAE was a natural choice for this launch, given the country’s forward-looking approach to innovation, strong regulatory environment and growing leadership in digital assets,” she said.
Abu Manneh designated the UAE as one of Standard Chartered’s four principal wealth centers worldwide, where priority growth strategies are deployed to capture market share.
Standard Chartered Expands Crypto Custody and Stablecoin Services
In addition to Bitcoin and Ether trading, Standard Chartered has actively expanded safekeeping capabilities for stablecoins and tokenized real-world assets, through which secure digital custody mechanisms are developed to support broader institutional adoption.
On October 12, the bank introduced RLUSD safekeeping options via its DIFC hub, enabling qualified institutional investors to store Ripple’s fiat-pegged stablecoin on the XRP Ledger, where secure storage balances are maintained under strict regulatory oversight.
The institution is actively partnering with Ripple and LMAX Group on a distinct framework that permits institutional traders to pledge RLUSD as margin collateral while the base assets are held within Standard Chartered’s secure custody environment.
The proposed collateral mechanism remains subject to technical trials, finalized legal agreements, internal sign-offs, and relevant regulatory mandates, through which final operational clearances are evaluated before public launch.
Standard Chartered previously collaborated with digital asset exchange OKX on collateral frameworks that enable institutional clients to execute market trades while their underlying holdings are maintained securely off-exchange.
Under this framework, investors can store approved digital tokens and tokenized money market assets with Standard Chartered while their margin valuation is credited on OKX.
In a separate initiative, the banking institution unveiled strategic plans for Singapore on October 8, offering safekeeping solutions for designated digital currencies, stablecoins, and tokenized real-world assets, through which compliant storage models are established across Asian markets.
The Singapore solution targets institutional entities and accredited corporate accounts, operating seamlessly alongside Standard Chartered’s established Financing & Securities Services division, where specialized market capabilities are integrated to serve sophisticated capital allocators.
The bank has refrained from disclosing an official launch timeline for the Singapore service or specifying which digital tokens will qualify, though regulatory parameters are expected to guide the final asset selection.
Standard Chartered currently runs digital asset safekeeping operations across the UAE, Luxembourg, and Hong Kong, where specialized institutional framework standards are enforced to safeguard customer portfolios.
The bank’s digital asset ecosystem encompasses execution, safekeeping, and tokenization capabilities backed by ventures such as Zodia Markets and Libeara, through which tailored institutional solutions are delivered across international financial centers.
In May 2026, Standard Chartered secured a deal to acquire Zodia Custody’s regulated safekeeping operations, aiming to absorb those services directly into its Financing & Securities Services division, where institutional workflows are streamlined for global markets.
The planned reorganization involved establishing Zodia Solutions, an independent platform backed by SC Ventures designed to provide digital asset architecture to traditional banks and financial institutions, through which scalable technology solutions are furnished to the industry.
When the deal was made public, the transaction still required regulatory clearances and standard closing stipulations, through which final operational hurdles are cleared prior to formal integration.
