Standard Chartered announced on October 14 that it has launched Bitcoin and Ether trading for affluent clients, initially opening the service to clients classified as Professional Investors in the United Arab Emirates. The launch adds direct crypto trading to its wealth offering through an existing banking relationship.
The bank’s announcement says the service combines its Wealth and Retail Banking and Corporate and Investment Banking businesses with SC Ventures-backed Zodia Markets. Standard Chartered manages custody and settlement within what it describes as a closed-loop model.
Access has specific limits
The UAE product page lists Bitcoin and Ether trading through SC Mobile. Eligibility requires Professional Investor classification, a valid Client Investor Profile and an existing eligible US dollar or UAE dirham account. Those conditions make this a limited client rollout, rather than access for every bank customer.
The same page says crypto holdings cannot be transferred into or out of Standard Chartered. Buying and holding an asset through the service therefore does not provide a route to transfer it to an external crypto wallet. Its FAQ also describes the service as execution-only, without investment advice from the bank.
The launch is separate from licensing
Dubai’s VARA public register lists Standard Chartered Bank as active for broker-dealer services under licence VL/26/08/003, issued on August 24, 2026. The October 14 development is the wealth-client service launch, not a claim that the licence was granted that day.
Standard Chartered says it plans to expand the offering to other markets over time. Its announcement does not identify those markets or give a rollout schedule. For the initial UAE service, the immediate scope remains two supported assets, eligible professional clients and the bank’s closed-loop custody and settlement arrangement.