British multinational Standard Chartered on Wednesday announced a bitcoin trading service for affluent clients in the United Arab Emirates.
The service is the first such service offered by an international bank in the UAE, Standard Chartered said.
It comes after the bank last month debuted bitcoin trading for institutional clients in the Arab nation. Standard Chartered became one of the first global banks to enter the spot crypto trading space when in 2025 it set up a trading desk for bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies in London.
“As client interest in digital assets continues to grow, this launch represents a significant milestone for Standard Chartered as we bring digital assets into our core wealth offering,” said Samir Subberwal, Standard Chartered’s global head of wealth solutions, retail products, data and analytics.
“With digital assets moving into mainstream wealth conversations, clients are increasingly looking not only for access, but also for the security, trust and confidence that comes from investing through a regulated and trusted institution.”
Rola Abu Manneh, Standard Chartered’s chief executive officer UAE, Middle East and Pakistan, added: “We are proud to be the first international bank in the UAE to launch a cryptocurrency trading offering.”
The service will allow clients to buy bitcoin via their bank accounts. No third-party apps or wallets will be needed, the bank said.
Standard Chartered said it will manage end-to-end custody and settlement through a closed-loop model, reducing exposure to third-party wallet risks.
The British bank is expanding its crypto-related offerings worldwide. Earlier this month, it said it had plans to offer crypto custody services for institutional clients in Singapore.
Standard Chartered already offers the service in the UAE, Luxembourg, and Hong Kong.
Banks worldwide are integrating or offering bitcoin-related products and services.
A number of U.S. and European banks have started offering crypto-related services by custodying assets for institutions. Others are offering trading via their flagship apps.
