During this week’s Hong Kong Fintech Week, Standard Chartered revealed plans to launch custody for Bitcoin and Ethereum in January 2026. The bank launched a digital asset custody offering in the UAE in September 2024 with Brevan Howard Digital as the inaugural client. That was followed by Luxembourg in January 2025. Standard Chartered was also the first global systemically important bank to launch spot crypto trading in July 2025.
In addition to these direct custody services, the bank’s SC Ventures subsidiary and Northern Trust incubated Zodia Custody, which is now also backed by Japan’s SBI, National Australia Bank (NAB) and Emirates NBD. SC Ventures remains the controlling shareholder in Zodia Custody.
The bank is already building direct custody relationships. It provides crypto custody to OKX institutional clients, with the assets mirrored on the crypto exchange, and offers general banking and FX services to crypto prime broker FalconX. These crypto-native firms represent a natural target market for the Hong Kong custody services launching in 2026.
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