Overview
- Standard Chartered launched the service on Oct. 14, 2026 and will open it first to clients in the UAE who meet Professional Investor criteria.
- Trades execute in a closed‑loop model where the bank manages custody and settlement internally so clients do not need separate crypto wallets or third‑party exchanges.
- At launch the offering supports direct ownership of Bitcoin and Ether only and uses bank‑set pricing with reported spreads of up to about 2 percent.
- The product was built by Standard Chartered’s wealth and investment banking teams with Zodia Markets and follows the bank’s earlier digital asset moves, including custody in 2024 and institutional spot trading in 2025 and September 2026.
- The move signals growing bank-led crypto services in the UAE’s regulated environment but concentrates operational and regulatory risk inside the bank and leaves expansion timing and broader asset coverage unspecified.