Standard Chartered expands Bitcoin and Ether trading to professional investors in UAE
Standard Chartered expanded its spot crypto trading services to professional investors in the UAE region, with plans to offer access to more market participants.
Standard Chartered has expanded its spot cryptocurrency trading services to professional investors in the United Arab Emirates, offering direct access to Bitcoin and Ether. The move marks a notable step for the British multinational bank, which confirmed plans to broaden access to additional market participants in the region as demand for regulated digital asset services continues to grow.
The expansion builds on Standard Chartered's broader push into digital assets, which has included crypto custody services and strategic investments in blockchain-related ventures. The UAE has emerged as a leading jurisdiction for cryptocurrency adoption, supported by a regulatory framework developed by authorities including the Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority in Dubai and the Financial Services Regulatory Authority in Abu Dhabi.
The entry of a major global bank into spot crypto trading within the UAE signals growing institutional confidence in the region's regulatory environment. It also reflects a wider trend of traditional financial institutions moving beyond passive crypto exposure — such as investment in funds — toward direct trading infrastructure for clients.
Observers will be watching whether Standard Chartered extends these services further across the Middle East or into other regulated markets, and whether competing banks accelerate similar offerings in response. The pace at which the bank widens eligibility beyond professional investors to other categories of participants will also be a key indicator of institutional appetite in the region.
Source: Cointelegraph
