Standard Chartered Doubles Down: Institutional Bitcoin & Ethereum Trading Goes Live

Wall Street's crypto FOMO just got real. Standard Chartered—the 160-year-old banking dinosaur—just strapped rockets to its balance sheet with institutional BTC/ETH trading desks.

No more dipping toes—the whale pool's open.

Why TradFi Can't Look Away

Banks used to sneer at 'magic internet money.' Now? They're scrambling for a slice of the $1.7T crypto pie before BlackRock eats it all. Goldman’s 2024 custody play? Cute. This is full-throttle execution.

The Compliance Tightrope

Watch how SC’s lawyers thread the needle: KYC checks thicker than a blockchain, but lightning-fast settlements that’d make a DeFi dev blush. (Irony alert: they’re using more tech than their ‘disruptive’ fintech clients.)

The Bottom Line

When banks start trading crypto like forex, the ‘it’s a bubble’ crowd loses ammo. But let’s see how long until some VP ‘accidentally’ longs SHIB on company hardware.

Bitcoin and Ethereum trading at the bank

In line with its commitment to providing clients with secure, trusted, and efficient digital asset solutions, and following the successful launch of a custody service, Standard Chartered has introduced a fully integrated trading service for cryptocurrencies. The offering includes spot trading of Bitcoin and Ethereum via its UK branch and will soon be expanded to include non-deliverable forwards (NDFs).

The trading service is fully integrated into Standard Chartered's existing platforms, allowing institutional clients to access and trade crypto assets via familiar foreign exchange trading interfaces. Clients can choose their preferred custodian for settlement, including Standard Chartered’s own crypto custody solutions.

The digital gold rush

Rising prices and a realigned U.S. stance are increasing client pressure on established banks to offer their own crypto services. Nearly all of the largest U.S. banks are holding internal discussions about expanding into the space, as Reuters recently reported. JP Morgan and Bank of America are developing proprietary stablecoins, Charles Schwab wants to enter spot trading, and Morgan Stanley is also expanding its existing offering.

Nevertheless, regulation remains a drag. Some banks are calling for more clarity on anti-money laundering rules and regulatory oversight before committing more fully to the crypto space. The rules for traditional banking are clearly defined, and there is full certainty about what a bank is permitted to do and what lies outside its remit. Similarly defined guidelines will likely be required for digital assets as well.