Standard Chartered has expanded its institutional crypto trading business to the UAE, allowing eligible clients to buy and sell Bitcoin and Ether directly through the bank’s Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC) branch.
The launch makes Standard Chartered the first globally systemically important bank to offer institutional digital asset spot trading in the UAE. According to the bank, it is also currently the only global bank providing this service in the region.
Institutional clients can access Bitcoin and Ether trading through the same electronic platforms and interfaces they already use for foreign exchange trading. Instead of gaining exposure through derivatives, clients receive the actual cryptocurrencies after trades are completed.
A key feature of the service is flexibility around custody. Clients are not required to store their assets with Standard Chartered and can choose their own custodian. Those who prefer can also use the bank’s regulated digital asset custody platform in the UAE.
The launch builds on the bank’s growing digital asset presence in the country. Standard Chartered introduced its UAE digital asset custody service in 2024 after receiving approval from the Dubai Financial Services Authority. Bitcoin and Ether were the first assets supported under that platform.
Since then, the bank has expanded its digital asset activities in the region. It partnered with OKX on a collateral mirroring program that allows institutional clients to keep assets with Standard Chartered while using their value for trading on the exchange. The framework was later expanded to include BlackRock’s tokenized Treasury fund, BUIDL.
Rola Abu Manneh, CEO for UAE, Middle East and Pakistan at Standard Chartered, said the UAE’s regulatory environment has helped create opportunities for institutional participation in digital assets. She added that combining trading, custody and governance services gives clients a more complete and regulated way to access crypto markets.
The new UAE offering follows the launch of Standard Chartered’s institutional Bitcoin and Ether trading service in the UK in July 2025. At the time, the bank became the first major global bank to provide deliverable Bitcoin and Ether spot trading to institutional customers through traditional banking infrastructure.
The UAE rollout brings that model into a market where Standard Chartered already has an established digital asset presence. Institutions can now trade Bitcoin and Ether through the bank’s existing systems while deciding where and how their assets are stored.
The move is part of Standard Chartered’s broader digital asset strategy, which includes trading, custody, tokenization and collateral services. The bank has also continued expanding its crypto-related offerings in other markets, including Hong Kong, where it recently became the first bank distributor of the regulated HKDAP stablecoin.
With the latest launch, Standard Chartered is further bridging traditional finance and digital assets, giving institutional investors in the UAE a regulated way to access Bitcoin and Ether through familiar banking infrastructure.
