Standard Chartered targets Singapore crypto custody by end of 2026

Standard Chartered intends to start offering crypto custody to institutional clients in Singapore before the end of 2026, the bank said on Thursday, October 8, adding a fourth market to a digital asset network that already spans the UAE, Luxembourg and Hong Kong, according to Coincentral.

The proposed service would cover selected cryptocurrencies, stablecoins and tokenized real-world assets. Ying Ying Tan, the bank’s global head of digital assets, said the goal is to begin operations before 2027, Coincentral reported. The bank has not named the assets it would support, and the offering remains subject to local regulatory requirements.

Key facts

• Standard Chartered announced the planned Singapore service on Thursday, October 8, 2026, with a target of launching before the end of 2026.
• The offering would cover selected cryptocurrencies, stablecoins and tokenized real-world assets for institutional and accredited investor corporate clients.
• The bank already runs digital asset custody in the United Arab Emirates, Luxembourg and Hong Kong.
• In May 2026, Zodia Custody shareholders and noteholders accepted Standard Chartered’s nonbinding acquisition offer, subject to regulatory approvals and closing conditions.
• The bank has not disclosed a firm launch date, supported assets or pricing.

Custody folded into securities services

The service is designed to sit inside Standard Chartered’s existing Financing & Securities Services division rather than run as a standalone crypto operation, so clients can keep digital assets under custody while using the bank’s broader financing and securities infrastructure, Crypto.news reported. That division would be the operational base for the offering, according to Crypto.news.

Patrick Lee, the bank’s chief executive for Singapore, ASEAN and South Asia, said Singapore was an important centre for financial innovation with growing institutional demand for trusted digital asset solutions, and that dependable infrastructure would be needed to move, safeguard and service tokenized assets as institutional activity grows. Ole Matthiessen, the bank’s global head of transaction services and digital assets, said secure and regulated custody is a critical foundation of the digital asset ecosystem, adding that the bank’s status as a global systemically important bank gives it the safeguards institutions look for, News.bitcoin reported.

The target audience is institutional and accredited corporate clients. No retail component was mentioned in the announcement.

What happened with Zodia

The Singapore plan follows Standard Chartered’s effort to move specialist crypto custody into its banking business. Zodia Custody, which the bank founded with Northern Trust in 2020, entered Singapore in 2023 and later expanded into Hong Kong; other backers include SBI Holdings, Emirates NBD and National Australia Bank. In June 2026 it secured a Luxembourg payment institution license from the Commission de Surveillance du Secteur Financier, complementing an existing Markets in Crypto Assets license and allowing regulated custody and transfer services for stablecoins across the EU, Crypto.news reported.

The acquisition plan would put Zodia’s regulated custody activities into Financing & Securities Services, while Zodia Solutions would remain a separate platform under SC Ventures. News.bitcoin noted that the Singapore announcement does not confirm the acquisition has closed. Only Crypto.news reported the Luxembourg license detail and the arrangement for Zodia Solutions.

Why it matters

Institutional custody has become a competitive front for large banks as tokenized assets move from pilot projects into client portfolios. Standard Chartered is positioning itself to hold both conventional securities and digital assets for the same customers, which reduces the number of counterparties an institution has to manage. The bank’s earlier step in this direction was its July 2025 launch of deliverable spot bitcoin and ether trading through its U.K. branch, reported by News.bitcoin, which put crypto trading inside a globally systemically important bank.

What to watch

The remaining unknowns are regulatory clearance from Singapore authorities, the list of supported assets and a firm launch date. Until those are settled, the service is a stated plan rather than an operating business.

Disclaimer: This article is for information only and is not investment, financial or trading advice. Cryptocurrency prices are highly volatile. Always do your own research.

Sources: CoinCentral, Crypto.news, News.bitcoin