StanChart to Offer Crypto Spot Trading in UAE

Standard Chartered says it has become the first Globally Systemically Important Bank to offer spot bitcoin and ether trading in the market and the only G-SIB offering the capability in the Middle East region through Standard Chartered DIFC.

The bank says eligible institutional clients can access deliverable bitcoin and ether spot trading through its electronic trading channels. It is integrated into the bank’s existing platforms, enabling clients to access crypto-asset trading through familiar FX interfaces. Clients may settle trades with a custodian of their choice, including Standard Chartered’s digital asset custody solution that was launched in September 2024.

The bank first introduced institutional Bitcoin and Ether spot trading through its UK branch in July 2025, becoming the first G-SIB to offer deliverable spot crypto-asset trading to institutional clients. The UAE launch extends that established global capability into a market where the bank says it has been building its institutional grade digital assets offering.

“The UAE has developed a clear digital assets regulatory framework that supports institutional participation and innovation,” says Rola Abu Manneh, CEO, UAE, Middle East and Pakistan at Standard Chartered. “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. By combining execution with secure custody, governance and the connectivity of a global bank, we are providing clients with a more integrated way to participate in digital asset markets.”