Standard Chartered has launched institutional spot trading in Bitcoin and Ether in the United Arab Emirates through its branch in the Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC).
The bank said the service makes it the first Global Systemically Important Bank (G-SIB) to offer institutional digital asset spot trading in the UAE, and the only global bank currently providing that capability in the region.
Eligible institutional clients can trade BTC and ETH through Standard Chartered’s existing electronic trading channels and foreign exchange interfaces. The trades are deliverable, meaning clients receive the underlying Bitcoin or Ether rather than exposure through derivatives linked to their prices.
Settlement can take place through a custodian chosen by the client, including Standard Chartered’s digital asset custody service in the UAE. The arrangement allows institutions to separate trade execution from the storage of their assets.
The service is being offered through Standard Chartered DIFC, the bank’s branch in the financial centre. Standard Chartered said the launch brings together trading and custody capabilities it has been developing separately in the UAE since 2024.
“Extending our Bitcoin and Ether spot trading capability to institutional clients is a significant step in broadening our regulated digital asset proposition in the market,” said Rola Abu Manneh, chief executive officer for the UAE, Middle East and Pakistan at Standard Chartered.
Abu Manneh said the UAE’s regulatory framework had helped support institutional participation in digital assets. She added that combining execution with custody, governance and Standard Chartered’s international network offered clients a more integrated route into digital asset markets.
The bank began providing institutional Bitcoin and Ether spot trading through its UK branch in July 2025. That made Standard Chartered the first G-SIB to offer deliverable Bitcoin and Ether spot trading to institutional clients.
The UK service was introduced for customers including corporations, asset managers and professional investors. Transactions were made available through the bank’s established foreign exchange trading interfaces, allowing institutions to use infrastructure already familiar from traditional markets.
Trading and custody services developed in the UAE
Standard Chartered launched its UAE digital asset custody service in September 2024 after receiving a licence from the Dubai Financial Services Authority within DIFC. Bitcoin and Ether were the first assets supported, with Brevan Howard Digital named as its inaugural client.
The bank expanded its digital asset infrastructure in April 2025 through a collateral mirroring programme with OKX. Under that arrangement, institutional customers can keep eligible collateral with Standard Chartered while using its value for trading on OKX.
The assets remain held by Standard Chartered rather than being transferred directly to the exchange. Corresponding collateral balances are mirrored into clients’ trading accounts, allowing OKX to manage margining and liquidation within its own system.
The programme began in the UAE with support from Brevan Howard and Franklin Templeton. In April 2026, it was extended to include BUIDL, BlackRock’s tokenised US Treasury fund.
Eligible institutional and VIP clients can use BUIDL as collateral while Standard Chartered holds the fund off-exchange. Clients retain ownership of the tokenised fund and its yield under the arrangement.
DIFC base for regional digital asset work
Christopher Parsons, senior executive officer at Standard Chartered DIFC, said the financial centre provided a base from which international financial institutions could deploy services across regional markets.
“Extending our institutional digital asset trading capability through the Centre demonstrates the strength of that model,” Parsons said, pointing to the combination of Standard Chartered’s markets business, international network and regulated DIFC presence.
Standard Chartered has used DIFC for several elements of its institutional digital asset business. Its custody platform operates from the financial centre, while some collateral arrangements involving digital assets are based on assets held by the bank in Dubai.
The bank’s wider digital asset strategy includes custody, trading and tokenisation. Its associated ventures include Zodia Markets, which operates in digital asset trading infrastructure, and Libeara, which develops tokenisation products.
Standard Chartered has also continued to expand regulated digital asset services in other financial centres. In Hong Kong, its local banking unit became the first bank distributor of the HKDAP stablecoin in August, giving eligible institutional clients and partners access to the regulated Hong Kong dollar-backed token.
HKDAP is issued by Standard Chartered-backed Anchorpoint, which received one of Hong Kong’s stablecoin issuer licences in April. The token entered controlled beta access for institutions and professional investors, with potential uses including payments, fiat conversion and settlement for tokenised assets.
Standard Chartered Bank Hong Kong plans to introduce subscription and settlement services for tokenised money market funds during the fourth quarter of 2026.
For UAE clients, the 3 September launch adds direct Bitcoin and Ether execution to the custody infrastructure the bank has operated in DIFC since September 2024. Institutions can trade through Standard Chartered’s electronic channels and choose where the resulting digital assets are held, including settlement into the bank’s own custody platform.
