Big Global Bank Standard Chartered Starts Bitcoin Trading in UAE

Standard Chartered now lets big investors in the UAE buy and sell Bitcoin directly — a first for the country.

A major international bank is making it easier to buy and sell Bitcoin. On Thursday, Standard Chartered announced that it has launched Bitcoin "spot trading" (buying and selling Bitcoin for immediate delivery, at its current price) for large clients in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

This is the first service of its kind in the country. Importantly, it is aimed at *institutional clients* — meaning big organizations like investment firms, hedge funds, and companies, not everyday individual shoppers.

What Standard Chartered is offering:

Direct Bitcoin trading for eligible large clients in the UAE
Custody services (safe storage of digital assets, so clients don't have to protect the coins themselves)
The backing and connections of a global bank

The bank says the UAE created clear rules for digital assets, which encourages big investors to take part. By combining trading with secure storage and governance (proper oversight and management), Standard Chartered says it gives clients a safer, more complete way to enter the crypto market.

This is part of a bigger push into digital money. Here's the bank's recent timeline:

2024: Launched digital asset custody (safe storage) in the UAE
2025: Set up a Bitcoin and crypto trading desk in London — one of the first global banks to do so
2025: Launched *Libeara*, a unit that helps turn traditional assets (like bonds) into digital tokens

Standard Chartered is also very optimistic about Bitcoin's price. In an August note to investors, the bank's Geoffrey Kendrick said a forecast of $100,000 by year-end was actually *too low*. He suggested Bitcoin could climb toward its all-time high of $126,000 before the end of the year. He also noted that Bitcoin's recent downturn ("bear market") has been the mildest ever recorded.

The bottom line: A trusted global bank stepping into Bitcoin trading is a sign that digital currencies are becoming more accepted in mainstream finance — especially for large, professional investors.

This is an AI-generated summary. Read the original article at: https://bitcoinmagazine.com/news/standard-chartered-debuts-bitcoin-trading