Standard Chartered has expanded its institutional digital asset services in the United Arab Emirates, launching spot trading for Bitcoin (BTC) and Ether (ETH) through its DIFC-based operations.
The move makes Standard Chartered the first Global Systemically Important Bank (G-SIB) to provide institutional clients with deliverable Bitcoin and Ether spot trading in the UAE. The bank also describes itself as the only global bank currently offering institutional digital asset spot trading in the region.
The new trading capability expands Standard Chartered’s regulated digital asset offering in the UAE by adding execution services to its existing cryptocurrency custody infrastructure.
Eligible institutional clients can access deliverable Bitcoin and Ether spot trading through the bank’s electronic trading channels. The service is integrated into Standard Chartered’s existing platforms, allowing clients to trade digital assets through familiar foreign exchange interfaces.
Clients can settle their transactions through a custodian of their choice, including Standard Chartered’s own digital asset custody service, which was launched in September 2024.
Rola Abu Manneh, Chief Executive Officer for the UAE, Middle East and Pakistan at Standard Chartered, said the UAE’s regulatory environment has created a strong foundation for institutional participation in digital assets.
“The UAE has developed a clear digital assets regulatory framework that supports institutional participation and innovation,” Abu Manneh said. “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.”
She added that combining trading execution with custody, governance and the connectivity of a global banking network gives institutional clients a more integrated way to participate in digital asset markets.
Christopher Parsons, Senior Executive Officer at Standard Chartered DIFC, said the Dubai International Financial Centre provides an established platform for international financial institutions to deploy global capabilities across markets.
“Extending our institutional digital asset trading capability through the Centre demonstrates the strength of that model,” Parsons said, highlighting the combination of Standard Chartered’s global markets expertise, network and regulated regional presence.
Standard Chartered initially launched institutional Bitcoin and Ether spot trading through its UK branch in July 2025. At the time, the bank became the first G-SIB to offer deliverable spot crypto-asset trading to institutional clients.
The UAE rollout builds on that existing global capability and strengthens Standard Chartered’s institutional digital asset offering in a market that has been developing a clearer regulatory framework for cryptocurrency and blockchain-based financial services.
The expansion also brings the bank’s trading and custody capabilities closer together, giving eligible institutional investors in the UAE access to regulated digital asset execution alongside established banking infrastructure.
