Standard Chartered launches institutional spot crypto trading in UAE

Sept 3 (Reuters) - Standard Chartered said on Thursday it had launched cryptocurrency spot trading in bitcoin and ether for institutional clients in the United Arab Emirates, becoming the first global systemically important bank to offer the service in the Gulf country.

Here are the details: 

• The bank said eligible institutional clients can access deliverable bitcoin and ether spot trading through its electronic trading channels.

• Ether spot trading allows investors to buy and sell ether, the native cryptocurrency of the Ethereum blockchain, for immediate delivery rather than through derivatives contracts.

• The service is integrated into Standard Chartered's existing platforms, allowing clients to execute crypto-asset trades through foreign exchange interfaces, it said.

• The launch expands the bank's digital asset offering in the UAE by adding execution services to its custody business, which the bank launched in September 2024.

• Clients can settle trades with a custodian of their choice, including Standard Chartered's digital asset custody solution, the bank said.

• Standard Chartered first introduced institutional bitcoin and ether spot trading through its UK branch in July 2025, becoming the first G-SIB to offer deliverable spot trading in bitcoin and ether to institutional clients.

(Reporting by Roshan Thomas in Bengaluru; Editing by Rashmi Aich)