Standard Chartered has launched spot cryptocurrency trading for institutional clients in the United Arab Emirates, adding bitcoin and ether trading to its growing digital asset business in the Gulf region.
The bank said on September 3 that eligible institutional customers in the UAE can now trade deliverable bitcoin and ether through its electronic trading channels. The move makes Standard Chartered the first global systemically important bank (G-SIB) to provide institutional spot cryptocurrency trading services in the Gulf country.
The new service allows clients to buy and sell cryptocurrencies for immediate delivery rather than using derivative contracts. Ether, the native cryptocurrency of the Ethereum blockchain, is among the two digital assets available through the platform, alongside bitcoin.
Standard Chartered has integrated the cryptocurrency trading service into its existing technology infrastructure. Institutional customers can execute crypto-asset transactions through the bank’s foreign exchange trading interfaces, allowing them to access the new capability through platforms they already use for other financial transactions.
The launch represents an expansion of Standard Chartered’s existing digital asset operations in the UAE. The bank began offering digital asset custody services in the country in September 2024. With the addition of spot trading, its UAE offering now covers both custody and execution services, giving institutional customers access to a broader range of cryptocurrency-related services.
Customers are also able to choose how they settle their transactions. Standard Chartered said clients can settle trades through a custodian of their choice, including the bank’s own digital asset custody service.
The latest move follows Standard Chartered’s earlier expansion into institutional cryptocurrency trading in the United Kingdom. In July 2025, the bank introduced institutional bitcoin and ether spot trading through its UK branch. At the time, it became the first G-SIB to offer deliverable spot trading in bitcoin and ether to institutional clients.
The UAE launch builds on that experience as the bank continues to expand its digital asset capabilities. The decision also places Standard Chartered at the forefront of institutional cryptocurrency services in the Gulf, where financial institutions have increasingly developed offerings linked to digital assets.
Unlike cryptocurrency derivatives, spot trading involves transactions in the underlying asset itself. In Standard Chartered’s case, the service is designed for institutional customers seeking deliverable bitcoin and ether trading through the bank’s established electronic trading infrastructure.
The expansion comes as Standard Chartered continues to develop its digital asset business beyond traditional banking services. Its custody operation, introduced in the UAE in 2024, provides a foundation for the new trading offering, while the ability to use either Standard Chartered or another custodian gives institutional clients greater flexibility in managing settlement.
The bank’s latest service is limited to bitcoin and ether, the two cryptocurrencies identified in its announcement. Eligible institutional customers can access the trading capability through Standard Chartered’s electronic channels and existing foreign exchange interfaces.
The UAE therefore becomes the latest market in which Standard Chartered has extended its institutional cryptocurrency services. Following the UK launch in July 2025, the bank has now brought deliverable spot trading in bitcoin and ether to the Gulf country, strengthening its position in the developing institutional digital asset market.
