The Singapore branch of Standard Chartered intends to provide safekeeping solutions for specific digital assets, stablecoins, and tokenized real-world assets tailored for institutional clients.
Standard Chartered’s division in Singapore is preparing to introduce cryptocurrency custody for institutional participants as it broadens its suite of digital asset offerings.
Via a statement published on Thursday, the financial institution announced its goal to deliver safekeeping for designated cryptocurrencies, stablecoins, and tokenized real-world assets to institutional investors, pending necessary regulatory approvals.
“We plan to roll out our custody service for holding specific crypto tokens, stablecoins, and tokenized real-world assets prior to the conclusion of the year,” stated Ying Ying Tan, the global head of digital assets at Standard Chartered, in an interview with The Block.
The organization noted that this capability will build upon its current cryptocurrency safekeeping presence in Luxembourg, the UAE, and Hong Kong.
This upcoming service will integrate with the Singapore affiliate’s existing securities and financing divisions, allowing the institution to “enhance its assistance for institutional customers throughout extended asset lifecycles,” according to the lender.
“Singapore serves as a vital hub for financial technology development, featuring a robust institutional network and an escalating need for reliable digital asset frameworks,” remarked Patrick Lee, Chief Executive Officer for Singapore, South Asia, and ASEAN at Standard Chartered. “Dependable architecture will prove essential for facilitating the protected transfer, storage, and administration of tokenized assets on an institutional level.”
This growth arrives subsequent to the bank’s strategy to internalize a larger portion of its digital asset custody functions. Back in April, Bloomberg noted that Standard Chartered was considering the integration of segments from Zodia Custody—the institutional storage provider it originally launched alongside Northern Trust in 2020—into its corporate banking unit. During May, the lender announced that its preliminary non-binding proposal had been accepted.
Zodia has maintained operational roots in Singapore starting from September 2023, the point at which it launched institutional-grade digital asset operations within the island nation. Afterward, it extended operations to Hong Kong. During June, Zodia obtained a payment institution authorization in Luxembourg, granting it the capacity to deliver regulated stablecoin storage and transfer operations throughout the European Union.
Revised to incorporate remarks from Standard Chartered.
Originally published at https://www.theblock.co/news/business/2026-10-08-standard-chartered-crypto-custody-singapore-418017.
