Standard Chartered is preparing to launch a digital-asset custody service in Singapore for institutional clients and corporate customers that qualify as accredited investors, according to a Thursday announcement reported by Cointelegraph.
The planned service would cover selected cryptocurrencies, stablecoins and tokenized real-world assets, subject to applicable regulatory requirements. The bank has not disclosed which cryptocurrencies will be supported. Cointelegraph said it asked Standard Chartered for clarification but had not received an immediate response.
Singapore Expansion Fits Wider Digital-Asset Strategy
The London-headquartered bank described Singapore as a leading financial and innovation hub and said the country is important to its global strategy. Custody services are designed to hold and safeguard digital assets on behalf of clients, giving institutions a way to use bank-provided infrastructure rather than managing those assets entirely themselves.
The Singapore plans would expand Standard Chartered’s existing activity in digital-asset services. In May, the bank announced plans to consolidate its custody operations by acquiring Zodia Custody’s custody business. It also planned to spin out Zodia Solutions after shareholders accepted the offer.
The announcement does not provide a launch date, the assets to be supported or details about pricing and operating arrangements. The service will be limited to institutional clients and eligible corporate clients, rather than being presented as a retail offering.
Standard Chartered’s Other Crypto Activities
The bank has also been developing digital-asset services in the United Arab Emirates. There, its offering includes institutional cryptocurrency trading and infrastructure for fiat payments.
Standard Chartered launched spot trading in Bitcoin and Ether in the UAE in September 2026, according to the source material. Separately, a banking agreement signed with CoinMENA in June supports fiat on- and off-ramps, client-money accounts and the management of transactions through virtual accounts.
These services illustrate the different functions banks can provide in digital-asset markets: custody for safeguarding assets, trading access and payment infrastructure for moving money between traditional financial systems and crypto platforms. Standard Chartered’s Singapore announcement focuses on custody for institutional and qualifying corporate customers.
Moneyiar Market Picture
Moneyiar data at the stated times showed the following prices and performance:
- STABLE: $0.0261426064, down 6.26% over 24 hours and 6.67% over seven days, as of October 8, 2026, at 09:09 +03:30.
- ASSET: $0.2063109401, up 7.73% over 24 hours but down 11.35% over seven days, as of October 3, 2026, at 13:04 +03:30.
- RED: $0.1519748308, up 0.69% over 24 hours and down 16.2% over seven days, as of October 8, 2026, at 09:09 +03:30.
- TUT: $0.0373206004, down 6.82% over 24 hours and 41.91% over seven days, as of August 30, 2026, at 07:39 +03:30.
The figures cover different assets and timestamps, so they are not a direct measure of Standard Chartered’s planned custody service or of the broader institutional market.
