Standard Chartered to Offer Crypto Storage Services in Singapore

A major global bank is bringing crypto services to Singapore. Standard Chartered, a British multinational bank, announced it will offer crypto custody (a secure service that safely stores digital assets, like a high-security vault for cryptocurrencies) for institutional clients (large organizations like companies, investment funds, and banks — not everyday individuals).

The bank said that big companies and institutions increasingly want safe, regulated, bank-level storage for their digital assets. Standard Chartered already offers this service in the United Arab Emirates, Luxembourg, and Hong Kong, and is now adding Singapore to that list.

What exactly will the bank store? According to Standard Chartered, the custody service will cover:

• Selected cryptoassets (digital currencies like Bitcoin)
• Stablecoins (cryptocurrencies designed to hold a steady value, usually tied to a currency like the US dollar)
• Tokenized real-world assets (traditional investments — such as stocks or bonds — converted into digital tokens on a blockchain, allowing them to be traded around the clock)

Tokenization (turning real assets into digital tokens) has become a popular topic on Wall Street, with traditional finance firms partnering with crypto companies to enable 24/7 trading.

Standard Chartered has been expanding its crypto business quickly. In 2025, the bank:

• Set up a trading desk in London for Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies, becoming one of the first global banks to enter spot crypto trading (buying and selling actual crypto, as opposed to betting on its future price)
• Launched a blockchain unit called Libeara to help institutions tokenize traditional assets
• Debuted Bitcoin trading in the UAE for institutional clients last month

Standard Chartered isn't alone. Banks worldwide are embracing crypto. BNY Mellon became the first major U.S. bank to offer digital asset custody in 2022, and Germany's Deutsche Bank plans to launch a similar service for European clients in 2026, pending regulatory approval.

The takeaway: Crypto custody is often the first step banks take into the digital asset world. Standard Chartered's move into Singapore shows that major, traditional banks are becoming comfortable handling cryptocurrencies for their biggest clients — a sign that digital assets are increasingly becoming part of mainstream finance.

This is an AI-generated summary. Read the original article at: https://bitcoinmagazine.com/news/standard-chartered-singapore-custody-plans