Global banking institution Standard Chartered reported on Thursday the launch of spot bitcoin trading for corporate customers located in the United Arab Emirates.
The financial institution explained that qualified institutional customers would gain access to this offering, which represents the initial service of its kind within the nation.
Previously in 2024, Standard Chartered rolled out digital asset safekeeping solutions in the UAE, preceding its introduction of spot cryptocurrency trading in international markets by several months.
JUST IN: Standard Chartered Bank becomes first Global Systemically Important Bank to launch institutional Bitcoin trading in the UAE 🇦🇪 pic.twitter.com/yeOMtcO7bo
— Bitcoin Magazine (@BitcoinMagazine) September 3, 2026
Rola Abu Manneh, Chief Executive Officer for the UAE, Middle East and Pakistan at Standard Chartered, stated, “The UAE has developed a clear digital assets regulatory framework that supports institutional participation and innovation.”
He further remarked: “By combining execution with secure custody, governance and the connectivity of a global bank, we are providing clients with a more integrated way to participate in digital asset markets.”
Back in 2025, Standard Chartered established a trading desk dedicated to bitcoin and alternative cryptocurrencies situated in London, placing it among the earliest international banks to enter spot crypto trading.
That same year, the cryptocurrency trading desk was integrated into the foreign exchange operations of the bank. Additionally, the institution unveiled a distributed ledger technology division named Libeara designed to assist institutions in tokenizing legacy assets.
Recently, Standard Chartered has expressed expectations that the valuation of bitcoin will maintain its upward momentum throughout the year. In an investor bulletin published during August, Geoffrey Kendrick, the bank’s Global Head of Digital Assets Research, stated that a target price of $100,000 before the conclusion of the year was overly conservative.
He noted, “Once investors remember how quickly prices can accelerate to the topside, and we get past the 6 October date (12 months after the all-time high) an overshoot towards the all-time high (USD126k) before year-end may be possible,” and added that the current bitcoin bear cycle has proved to be the mildest ever recorded.
Originally published at https://bitcoinmagazine.com/news/standard-chartered-debuts-bitcoin-trading.
