Standard Chartered Taps Karby Leggett to Lead Digital Assets Push Across Asia

Standard Chartered has appointed Karby Leggett as head of digital assets for Greater China, North Asia, South Asia, and ASEAN, consolidating his existing role as global head of the Official Institutions Group. Based in Singapore, Leggett brings two decades of cross-sector experience—spanning journalism, finance, and public policy—to steer the bank’s expansion into cryptocurrencies, tokenized assets, and central bank digital currencies.

Leggett’s career includes nine years as a China-focused foreign correspondent and three years as Jerusalem bureau chief for The Wall Street Journal before transitioning to finance. At Goldman Sachs, he advised on sovereign credit for three years, followed by 16 years at Standard Chartered in public sector strategy roles. His dual mandate reflects the bank’s bid to capture institutional demand as Asia’s crypto adoption accelerates.

"Karby’s deep relationships with governments and multilaterals position him to bridge official sector needs with our digital asset capabilities," said Eric Robertsen, global head of research at Standard Chartered. The move signals growing competition among traditional banks to service institutional crypto demand amid regulatory clarity in markets like Hong Kong and Singapore.