Standard Chartered Launches Direct Bitcoin and Ethereum Crypto Trading via Bank Accounts
Highlights
- Standard Chartered launched a first-of-its-kind crypto trading solution for affluent clients,
- Eligible clients in the UAE can now buy and sell Bitcoin (BTC) and Ethereum (ETH) directly via bank accounts.
- The bank continues to expand crypto capabilities across institutional and wealth services in the UAE.
Standard Chartered has unveiled a new crypto trading service that lets eligible affluent clients buy and sell Bitcoin and Ethereum directly through their existing bank accounts. This marked a first for the bank and for an international lender in the UAE.
Standard Chartered Enables Direct Bitcoin and Ethereum Trading
Standard Chartered launched a first-of-its-kind crypto trading solution for affluent clients, according to an official announcement on October 14. Eligible professional clients in the UAE can now buy and sell Bitcoin (BTC) and Ethereum (ETH) directly through their existing bank accounts.
It becomes possible through a strategic collaboration between the bank’s Wealth and Retail Banking (WRB) and Corporate and Investment Banking (CIB) businesses, alongside SC Ventures-backed Zodia Markets, and regulation by Dubai’s Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority (VARA).
The crypto trading solution integrates institutional-grade custody, liquidity, and client access within a single, end-to-end digital asset ecosystem. Transactions will run within the bank’s ecosystem under a closed-loop model, reducing wallet risks.
This will enable clients to access crypto assets with their existing banking relationship while benefiting from institutional-grade custody and operational safeguards.
Samir Subberwal, Global Head of Wealth Solutions, Retail Products, Data & Analytics at Standard Chartered, described the launch as a significant milestone that brings crypto assets into the bank’s core wealth offering. He added that clients demand secure, regulated access as digital assets move into the mainstream.
“We are proud to be the first international bank in the UAE to launch a cryptocurrency trading offering,” said Rola Abu Manneh, CEO for UAE, Middle East and Pakistan at Standard Chartered.
Expanding Crypto Capabilities Across UAE Institutional and Wealth Services
The launch builds on Standard Chartered’s broader crypto assets activities in the UAE and other key regions. This builds on Standard Chartered’s launch of spot crypto trading in Bitcoin and Ethereum for institutional clients in the UAE last month.
The service lets eligible institutional clients trade deliverable BTC/USD and ETH/USD through familiar electronic FX platforms, with settlement options including the bank’s own digital asset custody.
As CoinGape reported earlier, Standard Chartered launched institutional USDC minting and redemption through DIFC, becoming the first G-SIB to offer institutional access to USDC through a regulated banking channel.
Recently, Standard Chartered announced institutional custody support for Ripple’s RLUSD stablecoin on the XRP Ledger. The bank also joined Ripple and LMAX Group to enable RLUSD as eligible collateral.
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