Standard Chartered launches spot bitcoin, ether trading in UAE

Standard Chartered has launched 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, the bank said Thursday.

The service, which is provided by the bank’s Dubai International Financial Centre entity, enables eligible institutional clients to trade deliverable bitcoin and ether through the electronic trading channels of Standard Chartered. The trading capability is integrated into the bank’s existing platforms, allowing clients to access crypto trading through familiar foreign exchange interfaces.

Clients can settle trades via a custodian of their choice, including Standard Chartered’s digital asset custody service, which rolled out in the UAE in September 2024. The new product therefore takes the bank’s existing custody business into the domain of trading execution.

“The UAE has developed a clear digital assets regulatory framework that supports institutional participation and innovation,” Rola Abu Manneh, Standard Chartered’s chief executive for the UAE, Middle East and Pakistan, said.

In July 2025 Standard Chartered launched institutional spot trading for bitcoin and ether via its UK branch. The UAE expansion takes that offering into a market looking to bolster its position as a global e-commerce hub.