Standard Chartered Is Bringing Bitcoin And Ether Spot Trading To UAE Institutions. It’s A First For A Global Banking Giant.

Standard Chartered has launched spot trading in Bitcoin and Ether for institutional clients in the United Arab Emirates, becoming the first global systemically important bank to offer the service in the country as major banks expand deeper into digital assets.

The bank said eligible institutional clients can now buy and sell Bitcoin and Ether for delivery through its electronic trading channels in the Dubai International Financial Centre. The service is integrated with Standard Chartered’s existing infrastructure, allowing clients to access crypto trading through familiar foreign-exchange interfaces, according to the bank’s official announcement.

The offering is regulated by the Dubai Financial Services Authority and expands Standard Chartered’s UAE digital-asset business beyond custody into trade execution. The DFSA requires firms conducting regulated financial services involving crypto tokens in or from the DIFC to obtain authorization, under a framework first introduced in 2022 and updated with new rules that took effect in January 2026.

Institutional customers using Standard Chartered’s new service will not be required to keep their assets with the bank. They can settle trades with a custodian of their choice, including Standard Chartered’s own digital-asset custody service, the bank said. Reuters reported that the launch makes Standard Chartered the first global systemically important bank to provide institutional Bitcoin and Ether spot trading in the UAE.

Standard Chartered established its digital-asset custody operation in the UAE in September 2024 after receiving a license from the DFSA. The bank initially offered institutional clients custody for Bitcoin and Ethereum, with Brevan Howard Digital becoming the first client of the service.

The UAE expansion follows Standard Chartered’s entry into institutional spot crypto trading in Britain last year. In July 2025, the bank began offering deliverable Bitcoin and Ether spot trading through its U.K. branch, becoming the first global systemically important bank to provide that service to institutional clients. It said at the time that the trading operation would use its existing platforms and foreign-exchange infrastructure.

Standard Chartered has also been expanding its institutional crypto infrastructure through partnerships. In April 2025, the bank and crypto exchange OKX launched a collateral program allowing institutional clients to use cryptocurrencies and tokenized money-market funds as off-exchange collateral while Standard Chartered acts as custodian.

The bank said its UAE spot-trading service will initially give eligible institutional clients access to Bitcoin and Ether, with transactions available through its electronic trading channels and settlement possible through Standard Chartered or another custodian chosen by the client.