Standard Chartered (LSE: STAN) is planning to launch a prime brokerage for cryptocurrency trading, Bloomberg reported on Jan. 12.
The new brokerage business will be a part of the British multinational bank’s wholly owned venture capital unit SC Ventures, anonymous sources familiar with the matter said, Bloomberg reported.
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Standard Chartered explores crypto
Founded as the Chartered Bank of India, Australia, and China on Dec. 29, 1853, the bank merged with the Standard Bank of British South Africa in 1969 to form Standard Chartered.
When the 172-year-old bank launched spot trading for Bitcoin (BTC) and Ethereum (ETH) through its UK branch in July 2025, it claimed it was the first
“global systemically important bank” to offer spot crypto trading for institutional clients.
Standard Chartered also offers digital asset transactions, custody, and tokenization solutions to institutional clients.
SC Ventures, the bank’s innovative unit, also supports the institutional crypto trading platform, Zodia Markets, and Zodia Custody.
In fact, Standard Chartered’s head of digital asset research, Geoffrey Kendrick, frequently shares price predictions for cryptocurrencies like BTC, XRP, etc.
The latest decision, as reported by Bloomberg, comes amidst a wave of reports about banking giants exploring crypto trading services.
As reported earlier, the world’s largest bank by market cap, JPMorgan Chase (NYSE: JPM), is reportedly considering launching institutional crypto trading services.
Bank of America, the world’s second-largest bank, also recently allowed its wealth advisors at Bank of America Private Bank, Merrill, and Merrill Edge to recommend allocations to crypto assets beginning Jan. 5.
BlackRock (NYSE: BLK), the world’s largest asset manager, already manages the largest spot BTC and ETH exchange-traded funds (ETFs).
Recently, Morgan Stanley also filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to launch crypto ETFs.
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Discussion still at early stage
Prime brokerage services include financing, securities lending, and custody that let investors manage risks and trade more efficiently across markets.
The latest discussions regarding the crypto brokerage are still at an early stage and it’s unknown when Standard Chartered will launch, the Bloomberg report said.
The decision to set up the brokerage under SC Ventures may help the bank avoid the requirement to absorb strict capital requirements for digital assets, the report added.
Related: Standard Chartered apologises on bullish Bitcoin prediction