DUBAI,— Standard Chartered began offering spot trading in Bitcoin BTC and Ether to institutional clients in the United Arab Emirates on Thursday, the bank announced.
This makes it the first globally systemically important bank to provide the service in the Gulf nation.
Qualified institutional clients can now trade deliverable Bitcoin and ether through the bank’s electronic trading channels, the company said.
Ether spot trading lets investors buy and sell the digital currency, which runs on the Ethereum blockchain, for immediate delivery instead of using derivatives contracts.
The bank noted that the new service works within its current trading platforms, letting clients handle crypto trades through the same interfaces used for foreign exchange transactions.
This move adds trade execution to the bank’s digital asset business in the UAE, building on the custody service it started in September 2024.
The bank said clients are free to settle trades using any custodian they choose, including its own digital asset custody arm.
Standard Chartered first rolled out institutional Bitcoin and ether spot trading through its UK branch in July 2025, making it the first G-SIB to offer the service globally.
(With files from Reuters, Standard Chartered)
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