Standard Chartered Launches Bitcoin and Ethereum Spot Trading for Institutional Clients in UAE

Standard Chartered, a leading global bank, has launched a new service in the UAE allowing institutional investors to trade Bitcoin (BTC) and Ethereum (ETH) on a spot basis. This move makes Standard Chartered the first Global Systemically Important Bank (G-SIB) to offer such services in the UAE.

The service is available through Standard Chartered's existing trading platform, which allows customers to access BTC/USD and ETH/USD markets. The trades will be executed on a spot basis, meaning that the bank will facilitate the actual transfer of the cryptocurrencies between buyers and sellers.

Clients can choose from various custody providers for their transactions, including Standard Chartered's own digital asset custody service.

This new service marks an expansion of Standard Chartered's existing digital asset trading capabilities in the UAE. The bank first launched its digital asset custody services in the UAE in September 2024 and now offers a comprehensive suite of digital asset services to institutional clients, including trading and tokenization solutions.