Standard Chartered Launches Institutional Bitcoin and Ether Spot Trading in UAE
Standard Chartered has expanded its institutional Bitcoin (BTC/USD) and Ether (ETH/USD) spot trading services in the UAE through Standard Chartered DIFC. The move makes Standard Chartered the first Global Systemically Important Bank (G-SIB) to offer institutional digital asset spot trading in the UAE. It is also the only global bank presently offering institutional digital asset spot trading in the region. The new service adds trading execution to the bank’s digital asset offering.
Trading Through Existing Platforms
Eligible institutional clients can access deliverable Bitcoin and Ether spot trading through Standard Chartered’s electronic trading channels. The service is integrated into the bank’s existing platforms. It lets clients trade crypto assets through familiar FX interfaces. Clients can settle their trades with a custodian of their choice. It includes Standard Chartered’s own digital asset solution.
What Executives Say
Rola Abu Manneh, Chief Executive Officer, UAE, Middle East and Pakistan at Standard Chartered, said the UAE has built a clear regulatory digital asset framework. She stressed that it supports institutional participation. She explained that adding Bitcoin and Ether spot trading expands Standard Chartered’s regulated digital asset offering in the UAE. She also pointed to the combination of trading execution, custody, governance, and the bank’s connectivity as a way to give clients an integrated direction to digital assets.
Christopher Parsons, Senior Executive Officer at Standard Chartered DIFC, underlined the role of DIFC in helping international financial institutions deliver their global capabilities across markets. He explained that the new service shows how Standard Chartered can fuse its global markets understanding and web with a regulated base in the DIFC to serve institutional clients.
Global Crypto Trading Service
Standard Chartered first introduced institutional Bitcoin and Ether spot trading through its UK branch in July 2025. At the time, it became the first G-SIB to offer deliverable spot crypto-asset trading to institutional clients. Now, the UAE launch extends that capability into another market where Standard Chartered has been developing its institutional-grade digital asset offering.
Digital Asset Strategy
The new UAE service forms part of Standard Chartered’s wider digital assets strategy. The bank’s Corporate and Investment Bank covers custody, trading, and tokenisation capabilities. Its ventures ecosystem also augments these credentials through Zodia Markets and Libeara.
About Standard Chartered
Standard Chartered is a British multinational bank headquartered in London. It was formed in 1969 through the merger of the Chartered Bank of India, Australia, and China (founded in 1853) and the Standard Bank of British South Africa (founded in 1862). The bank operates in 53 markets with over 83,000 employees. Its services include corporate and investment banking, wealth management, and treasury operations.
Wrapping Up
Standard Chartered’s UAE launch expands its institutional digital asset offering by bringing Bitcoin and Ether spot trading together with its custody capabilities. The move also extends the bank’s established global crypto trading service into the UAE through a regulated DIFC platform.
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