Standard Chartered has today expanded institutional Bitcoin and Ether spot trading to the UAE through its Dubai International Financial Centre branch.
Clients can complete trades through electronic systems that Standard Chartered already uses for foreign exchange transactions.
Eligible institutions receive Bitcoin or Ether after each spot trade instead of derivatives linked to cryptocurrency prices.
Standard Chartered said it became the first Global Systemically Important Bank to provide institutional digital asset spot trading in the UAE.
The bank also said no other global bank currently provides the same institutional trading capability in the region.
The finance magnate integrated Bitcoin and Ether trading into electronic systems that its institutional clients already use for foreign exchange.
The setup lets institutions access crypto through existing banking infrastructure instead of adopting a separate trading system.
Rola Abu Manneh, Chief Executive Officer, UAE, Middle East and Pakistan at Standard Chartered, said,
“The UAE has developed a clear digital assets regulatory framework that supports institutional participation and innovation. 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.”
UAE Clients Gain Custody Choice Through Standard Chartered
Institutional clients do not need to store purchased Bitcoin or Ether with Standard Chartered after completing their trades.
Instead, each institution can select its preferred custodian to settle and hold the assets.
However, clients can also use Standard Chartered’s regulated digital asset custody service in the UAE.
Institutions can trade through the bank while storing their purchased assets with another custodian.
Standard Chartered launched its UAE custody platform in September 2024 after securing approval from the Dubai Financial Services Authority.
The bank launched the platform with Bitcoin and Ether support and named Brevan Howard Digital as its first client.
The banking firm partnered with OKX in April 2026 to let institutions use bank-held assets as collateral for exchange trading.
The banking body keeps eligible collateral in custody instead of requiring institutions to move those assets onto OKX.
Meanwhile, OKX mirrors the value of those bank-held assets into institutional trading accounts for use as collateral.
DIFC Supports the Bank’s Wider Digital Asset Strategy
Christopher Parsons, the Senior Executive Officer, Standard Chartered DIFC, said DIFC gives international financial institutions a regulated base for offering services across regional markets.
The bank already operates its UAE digital asset custody service and related institutional collateral arrangements through the financial centre.
The finance company also expanded its regulated digital asset business in Hong Kong through the HKDAP stablecoin in August.
Standard Chartered Bank Hong Kong became HKDAP’s first bank distributor for eligible institutional clients and partners.
Meanwhile, the UAE expansion follows the bank’s UK institutional crypto spot trading launch in July last year.
The financial institution opened that service to corporations, asset managers and professional investors trading Bitcoin and Ether.
UK clients could execute crypto trades through the same electronic interfaces they already used for foreign exchange transactions.
