Key Takeaways:
- Standard Chartered becomes the first global systemically important bank to offer spot Bitcoin and Ether trading to institutional clients.
- The bank’s UK branch integrates crypto trading with existing FX platforms, offering familiar interfaces and regulated settlement.
- This move signals growing institutional demand amid bullish forecasts, with Bitcoin eyeing $135K–$200K by year-end.
In a landmark shift for institutional crypto adoption, Standard Chartered has unveiled spot trading for Bitcoin and Ether through its UK operations. The announcement comes as digital asset markets rebound and institutional interest surges, propelled by favorable regulatory momentum and record-high crypto prices.
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Standard Chartered Enters the Crypto Arena
One of the world’s most popular multinationals banks, Standard Chartered, has officially announced that spot trading for Bitcoin (BTC) and Ether (ETH) has gone live, and will cater to its institutional clientele. The launch puts the bank at the front of the pack for global systemically important banks with a regulated, deliverable spot crypto trading arrangement, a bold move in a world where corporate treasuries, asset managers and hedge funds want increasing exposure in that area.
The offering looks to meet the needs of institutional customers who have large funding allocations and wish for direct exposure to crypto, within a regulated, institutional grade environment. The bank’s crypto trading services are deeply integrated with its current foreign exchange (FX) infrastructures, ensuring that it is simple for its traditional banking clients to make the move into the digital world of finance.
“As demand accelerates, we’re building the bridge between traditional finance and the digital asset ecosystem,” said Bill Winters, Standard Chartered’s CEO.
What’s Offered: Beyond the Usual Crypto Desk
Familiar Tools, Regulated Framework
Clients can now trade BTC and ETH against the US dollar directly via Standard Chartered’s FX interfaces, the same systems they’ve long used for currency trading. Settlement options are flexible, and clients can use their own preferred custodian, including the bank’s own Zodia Custody, a subsidiary established to protect digital assets.
This seamless integration, which is the first of its kind, provides clients the ability to trade crypto while still managing FX and commodities risk without having to leave the safety of a regulated banking platform.
The bank also intends to debut non-deliverable forwards (NDFs) for crypto, bespoke derivatives contracts that settle in fiat but derive their value from movement in the price of the reference crypto. For institutions that are concerned about the infamous crypto price volatility, these instruments offer the possibility of hedging.
StanChart’s Growing Digital Asset Ecosystem
Standard Chartered is no stranger to digital assets. It holds strategic stakes in:
- Zodia Custody – FCA-registered, offering bank-grade custody for Bitcoin and Ether.
- Zodia Markets – Offers OTC crypto trading with support for over 70 tokens.
- Libeara – A blockchain unit focused on real-world asset tokenization for institutions.
These platforms together make up the bank’s multi-pronged crypto strategy, which involves custody, trading and tokenization – all provided within its existing regulated infrastructure.
The bank has meanwhile rolled out regulated digital custody in the UAE in late 2024, and also regulations-breaking digital custody license has been granted by the bank in Luxembourg in early 2025.
Regulated Access, the New Gold Standard for Institutional Crypto?
As the landscape for crypto maturing, institutional participants are looking for safe, regulated and scalable ways to get involved. Standard Chartered’s move would check a series of long-standing institutional concerns:
- Security: Institutional-grade custody solutions
- Regulatory Compliance: Operations under FCA oversight
- Familiar Interfaces: Integrated FX trading systems
- Risk Controls: Traditional banking frameworks applied to digital assets
By launching spot BTC and ETH trading with real deliverables not just derivatives, StanChart distinguishes itself from many peers still cautiously observing from the sidelines.
“This is not just a crypto desk; this is a full-service digital asset pipeline built on banking-grade infrastructure,” said Tony Hall, the bank’s Global Head of Trading and XVA.
Read More: Mastercard Embarks on Multi-Token Network, Pursues “Venmo-Like” Crypto Experience
Institutional Crypto Goes Mainstream
With regulatory momentum building, especially in the U.S., where the House is advancing crypto legislation during what’s being dubbed “Crypto Week”; banks are under increasing pressure to innovate or fall behind.
Institutions formerly cautious of digital assets owing to a lack of clear regulation now seem more at ease with venturing into the sector. Multiple U.S. banks are said to be exploring custodial and trading services related to digital currency amid increased demand for easy access to the asset class. And now with Standard Chartered taking the plunge, the path is beginning to clear for others.
Meanwhile, BlackRock’s spot Bitcoin ETF, MicroStrategy’s ongoing buyups, Fidelity’s ETH trading desk all signal a market turning strategic, not just speculative.
