Standard Chartered Bank has launched Bitcoin and Ethereum trading services for wealthy customers in

Standard Chartered Bank has launched cryptocurrency trading services in the UAE

Standard Chartered Bank has officially introduced cryptocurrency trading services for high-net-worth clients in the UAE. After obtaining approval from the Dubai Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority (VARA), eligible investors can now trade Bitcoin and Ethereum through their existing bank accounts, without the need for separate wallets or external exchanges.

This service is targeted specifically at professional investors. According to the bank’s announcement, this service will initially be available to professional investor clients in the UAE. Standard Chartered Bank describes this as the world’s first cryptocurrency trading service tailored for wealthy wealth management clients. It is also a pioneering product of international banks in the UAE.

This service was developed jointly by Standard Chartered Bank’s Wealth & Retail Banking Department and Corporate & Investment Banking Department, in collaboration with Zodia Markets. Zodia Markets is a digital asset company supported by Standard Chartered Bank’s venture capital department, SC Ventures. The service operates on a closed-loop model, with Standard Chartered Bank handling custody and settlement processes, thereby simplifying the workflow and reducing operational complexity.

Safety and compliance are prioritized in this service.

Standard Chartered Bank states that this design aims to reduce risks associated with third-party wallets, while providing institutional-level custody and operational safeguards. Clients can complete transactions, custody, and settlement within Standard Chartered Bank’s ecosystem without needing to create separate exchange accounts or personal digital wallets.

渣打银行全球财富解决方案、零售产品、数据与分析主管Samir Subberwal指出：“随着数字资产逐渐进入主流财富管理讨论范畴，客户不仅寻求获取渠道，更看重通过受监管和值得信赖的机构进行投资所带来的安全性、信任感和信心。”

从机构业务到财富管理

此次财富产品的推出，紧随渣打银行此前推出的机构级加密货币交易和托管服务之后。2025年7月，渣打银行通过其英国分行推出了现货加密货币交易服务；2026年9月，又通过其迪拜国际金融中心（DIFC）分行为机构客户引入了比特币和以太坊的机构现货交易。

此前，渣打银行已允许符合条件的财富客户通过其现金股票平台访问加密货币交易所交易基金（ETF）。新的直接交易服务进一步丰富了其投资选项，将直接的BTC和ETH交易纳入其中。

阿联酋作为战略枢纽

渣打银行中东、巴基斯坦及阿联酋首席执行官Rola Abu Manneh表示，鉴于该国对创新的远见卓识、强大的监管环境以及在数字资产领域日益增长的领导力，阿联酋是该服务的自然首选之地。阿布扎比曼内赫还将阿联酋确定为渣打银行的四大全球财富中心之一。

Currently, the bank has not announced the minimum investment amount, transaction fees, or transaction limits. It is also unclear whether the bank will offer support for cryptocurrencies other than BTC and ETH in the future. However, the bank plans to expand this service to other markets over time, though no specific timeline has been provided, nor have any countries been mentioned as potential targets.

Expansion into stablecoins and custody services

In addition to trading Bitcoin and Ethereum, Standard Chartered Bank is also actively developing services related to custody of stablecoins and tokenized financial assets. On October 12th, the bank launched a custody service for RLUSD through its DIFC branch, allowing eligible institutional clients to hold US-dollar stablecoins issued by Ripple on XRP ledger-based transactions.

Additionally, Standard Chartered Bank is collaborating with Ripple and LMAX Group to explore a new arrangement that would allow institutional clients to use RLUSD as collateral for transactions, with the underlying tokens still being custodied by Standard Chartered Bank. This plan requires testing, signing of necessary legal documents, internal approvals, and compliance with regulatory requirements.

Prior to this, Standard Chartered Bank has already partnered with cryptocurrency exchange OKX, allowing institutional clients to deposit qualified cryptocurrencies and tokenized money market funds with Standard Chartered Bank, while these assets are recognized as collateral values on OKX.

Global expansion and acquisition integration

Standard Chartered has already launched digital asset custody services in the UAE, Luxembourg, and Hong Kong. In May 2026, Standard Chartered announced its agreement to acquire the regulated custody business of Zodia Custody, with the intention of integrating this service into its financing and securities services department. This restructuring also includes the establishment of Zodia Solutions, an independent platform supported by SC Ventures, aimed at providing digital asset infrastructure for banks and financial institutions.

Meanwhile, Standard Chartered is also expanding its services in Singapore. On October 8th, the bank announced plans to launch custody services for selected cryptocurrencies, stablecoins, and tokenized real-world assets in Singapore. The target customers are institutional and accredited investor businesses. However, the exact launch date for these services in Singapore, as well as the range of digital assets eligible for custody, have not been announced yet.