Standard Chartered has launched a cryptocurrency trading service for wealthy clients in the United Arab Emirates, allowing eligible investors to buy and sell Bitcoin and Ether directly through their existing bank accounts.
Summary
- Standard Chartered has launched direct Bitcoin and Ether trading for eligible wealthy clients in the UAE after securing regulatory approval from VARA.
- Professional Investor clients can buy and sell cryptocurrencies through their existing bank accounts without using separate wallets or external exchanges.
- The service was developed with Zodia Markets and uses a closed loop model in which Standard Chartered manages custody and settlement.
- The launch follows the bank’s institutional crypto trading and custody services, with plans to introduce the wealth offering in other markets over time.
According to the bank’s announcement, the service has received approval from Dubai’s Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority (VARA) and will initially be available to Professional Investor clients in the UAE.
The offering allows customers to trade cryptocurrencies without opening accounts on separate exchanges or setting up personal digital wallets. Standard Chartered will handle custody and settlement within its banking ecosystem.
The bank described the launch as its first cryptocurrency trading service for affluent wealth clients globally and the first such offering from an international bank in the UAE.
Standard Chartered developed the service through cooperation between its Wealth and Retail Banking and Corporate and Investment Banking divisions, working with Zodia Markets, a digital asset business backed by its venture arm, SC Ventures.
The bank plans to introduce the service in other markets over time, although it has not provided a timetable or identified the countries under consideration.
Standard Chartered brings crypto trading into wealth accounts
Under the new arrangement, eligible customers can purchase and sell Bitcoin (BTC) and Ether (ETH) using their existing Standard Chartered banking relationships.
The service uses a closed-loop operating model, under which the bank manages transactions, custody and settlement without requiring clients to transfer assets through external wallets.
Standard Chartered said the structure was designed to reduce exposure to risks associated with third-party wallets while providing institutional-grade custody and operational safeguards.
Zodia Markets is participating in the service alongside the bank’s wealth and investment banking businesses, bringing digital asset market capabilities into the trading arrangement.
The announcement did not specify minimum investment amounts, trading fees, transaction limits or whether customers would eventually gain access to cryptocurrencies beyond BTC and ETH.
Samir Subberwal, Standard Chartered’s Global Head of Wealth Solutions, Retail Products, Data & Analytics, said demand for digital assets was becoming part of the bank’s wealth management business.
“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.
Before introducing direct cryptocurrency trading, Standard Chartered already allowed eligible wealth clients to access cryptocurrency exchange-traded funds through its cash equities platform.
Its existing investment products included structured products and over-the-counter derivatives that provide exposure to cryptocurrency markets.
The new service introduces direct BTC and ETH transactions into that range of investment options, with custody and settlement handled by the bank.
UAE launch follows Standard Chartered’s institutional trading rollout
Standard Chartered’s latest UAE offering follows a series of cryptocurrency services introduced for institutional customers over the past two years.
In September 2026, the bank introduced institutional spot trading for Bitcoin and Ether through its Dubai International Financial Centre branch.
As crypto.news previously reported, the institutional service allowed eligible clients to execute deliverable BTC and ETH trades through the bank’s existing electronic trading channels and foreign exchange interfaces.
Those customers could choose their preferred custodian for settlement, including Standard Chartered’s own digital asset custody service.
The institutional arrangement differs operationally from the newly announced wealth product, which places trading, custody and settlement within the bank’s closed-loop environment.
Standard Chartered’s UAE institutional trading operations followed its July 2025 launch of spot cryptocurrency trading through its UK branch.
The earlier service targeted institutional customers, including corporations, asset managers and professional investors, and supported Bitcoin and Ether transactions through established foreign exchange trading systems.
The bank had entered the UAE digital asset custody market in September 2024 after securing authorization from the Dubai Financial Services Authority within the DIFC.
Brevan Howard Digital was named as the inaugural customer for that custody platform, which initially supported Bitcoin and Ether.
For the new wealth service, Standard Chartered has obtained VARA licensing approval, according to its announcement.
Rola Abu Manneh, the bank’s Chief Executive Officer for the UAE, Middle East and Pakistan, described the country as a natural location for the launch because of its regulatory environment and approach to digital asset innovation.
“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 identified the UAE as one of Standard Chartered’s four global wealth hubs.
Standard Chartered develops crypto custody and stablecoin services
Beyond Bitcoin and Ether trading, Standard Chartered has been developing custody services for stablecoins and tokenized financial assets.
On October 12, the bank launched RLUSD custody services through its DIFC branch, allowing eligible institutional clients to hold Ripple’s dollar-backed stablecoin on the XRP Ledger.
The bank is working with Ripple and LMAX Group on a separate arrangement that would allow institutional customers to use RLUSD as trading collateral while keeping the underlying tokens in Standard Chartered’s custody.
The planned collateral service remains subject to testing, final legal documentation, internal approvals and applicable regulatory requirements.
Standard Chartered has previously worked with cryptocurrency exchange OKX on collateral arrangements that allow institutions to trade using assets held outside the exchange.
Under the arrangement, customers can keep eligible cryptocurrencies and tokenized money market funds with Standard Chartered while their collateral value is recognized on OKX.
In another development, the bank announced plans for Singapore on October 8, proposing custody services for selected cryptocurrencies, stablecoins and tokenized real-world assets.
The Singapore offering is intended for institutional and accredited investor corporate clients and would operate alongside Standard Chartered’s existing Financing & Securities Services business.
The bank has not announced a launch date for the Singapore service or identified which digital assets would qualify.
Standard Chartered already operates digital asset custody services in the UAE, Luxembourg and Hong Kong.
Its digital asset operations include trading, custody and tokenization capabilities supported by businesses such as Zodia Markets and Libeara.
In May 2026, Standard Chartered reached an agreement to acquire Zodia Custody’s regulated custody business, with plans to integrate those operations into its Financing & Securities Services division.
The proposed restructuring included the creation of Zodia Solutions, a separate SC Ventures-backed platform intended to provide digital asset infrastructure to banks and financial institutions.
The acquisition remained subject to regulatory approvals and customary closing conditions when the agreement was announced.