Standard Chartered Starts BTC ETH Spot Trading in UAE DIFC
Standard Chartered DIFC offers deliverable institutional Bitcoin and Ether spot trading from September 3, the first such service by a G-SIB in the UAE.
Standard Chartered DIFC launched deliverable Bitcoin and Ether spot trading for institutional clients on September 3, making the bank the first Global Systemically Important Bank to provide the service in the UAE.
The trades settle with delivery of the underlying assets, and clients may choose settlement through Standard Chartered custody or any third-party custodian they select.
The service runs on the bank's existing electronic platforms and integrates with the FX interfaces already used by institutional clients.
Official statements
Rola Abu Manneh, Chief Executive Officer for the UAE, Middle East and Pakistan at Standard Chartered, stated that the UAE regulatory framework supports institutional participation and that pairing execution with custody and governance gives clients an integrated route into digital asset markets.
Christopher Parsons, Senior Executive Officer at Standard Chartered DIFC, noted that the DIFC platform allows the bank to deploy its global capabilities from a regulated base serving clients across the region.
What remains unknown
The UAE offering follows the bank's institutional spot trading launch in the UK in July 2025.
Financial terms of the service remain undisclosed. Client uptake and trading volumes are not yet reported. Integration timelines with the bank's broader SC Ventures and Zodia Markets initiatives are unspecified.