Standard Chartered Now Offers Bitcoin and Ethereum Trading to Institutions
In a major step towards mass crypto adoption, Standard Chartered has started offering spot trading services for Bitcoin (BTC) and Ethereum (ETH). It’s only available for institutional clients. The bank is now one of the first global financial institutions to provide regulated and secure direct access to key digital assets.
A New Chapter for Institutional Crypto Access
The bank’s UK entity launched the new service only during working hours in Asia and Europe at first. Standard Chartered intends to provide 24/5 service in response to rising client demand. Institutions, including asset managers and multinational corporations, can use familiar foreign exchange interfaces to trade BTC and ETH, making access easier and lowering barriers.
The service is completely integrated into the bank’s infrastructure and gives clients the choice to determine custodians for their assets. You can choose a third-party provider or Standard Chartered’s affiliate Zodia Custody. This offering supports institutions needing liquidity as well as security in their crypto operations.
Expanding Services and Global Reach
Following key regulatory successes in other countries, the bank launches this product. After launching regulated crypto custody solutions in the UAE last year and securing a license in Luxembourg this year, Standard Chartered is now turning its focus to global institutional onboarding through its UK arm.
As per a bank representative, the service would be made available to banks across the globe to unlock through the UK platform, with the assurance that they are operating in a fully regulated environment backed by strict risk monitoring.
Derivatives on the Horizon
Standard Chartered also plans to follow in the footsteps of crypto derivative offerings with NDF plans, the report said. These contracts will give institutional clients more advanced options for hedging and risk management, allowing investors to speculate on crypto prices without taking delivery of the actual asset.
However, on whether it will offer crypto trading to retail clients, the bank refrained from commenting as it continues its focus on institutional and corporate clientele for the time being.
Leading Traditional Finance Into the Digital Era
With this strategic step, Standard Chartered will be at the forefront of conventional banks that embrace digital assets. The initiative emphasizes the bank’s continuous investment in blockchain, tokenization, and crypto technologies after its vision that digital assets were to become core to the future of finance.
According to CEO Bill Winters, digital assets are crucial to the financial services sector’s innovative potential. They can enable inclusion, growth, and new opportunities throughout the industry.
Standard Chartered’s entry into crypto trading combines regulatory compliance, security and global financial expertise, marking a new era of institutional access and showing that the world’s largest banks are preparing to lead the next wave of digital assets.
