CoinDesk
Standard Chartered plans to offer custody in Singapore for selected cryptocurrencies, stablecoins and tokenized real-world assets, subject to regulatory requirements. The service would target institutional clients and accredited-investor corporate clients, extending a business already operating in financial centers including the UAE, Luxembourg and Hong Kong.
Why it matters
The planned offering places crypto, stablecoins and tokenized assets within the same institutional custody proposition. Standard Chartered says the service would support clients across the asset lifecycle, from safeguarding traditional assets to issuing and holding tokenized versions. It would sit within the bank’s financing and securities-services business, not as a retail crypto product.
Singapore is a key Asian wealth-management and digital-asset center, and the expansion adds to the bank’s regional infrastructure for institutional clients. Standard Chartered has been building its custody business through Zodia, its custody arm. In May, the bank agreed to acquire the rest of Zodia Custody, which it founded with Northern Trust.
Market impact
The announcement signals further competition among established financial institutions to provide regulated digital-asset infrastructure. BNY has also expanded its custody platform to include USDC custody and minting, and later added staking. Standard Chartered’s planned service explicitly spans crypto, stablecoins and tokenized real-world assets.
The bank has also begun offering institutional spot Bitcoin and Ether trading through its Dubai branch’s foreign-exchange platform. Singapore’s custody service remains subject to regulatory requirements; Standard Chartered has not named the supported assets or given a launch date.
Frequently asked questions
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Who would be eligible to use Standard Chartered’s Singapore custody service?
The planned service would target institutional clients and accredited-investor corporate clients. It is not described as a retail crypto product.
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What types of assets would the Singapore service cover?
Standard Chartered says it plans to support selected cryptocurrencies, stablecoins and tokenized real-world assets. It has not named the specific assets.
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How would the custody service fit into Standard Chartered’s business?
It would sit within the bank’s financing and securities-services business and support clients across the asset lifecycle, including safeguarding traditional assets and issuing and holding tokenized versions.
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Where else does Standard Chartered already offer digital-asset services?
The bank’s custody business already reaches financial centers including the UAE, Luxembourg and Hong Kong. It also offers institutional spot Bitcoin and Ether trading through its Dubai branch’s foreign-exchange platform.
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When will Standard Chartered launch custody in Singapore?
The bank has not announced a launch date. The planned service remains subject to applicable regulatory requirements.
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