Standard Chartered plans to offer digital asset custody to institutional and corporate clients in Singapore, Bitcoin Magazine reported. The bank said on Thursday that such clients increasingly want safe, regulated safekeeping of digital assets at a bank-grade standard. The bank already runs this service in Hong Kong, Luxembourg and the United Arab Emirates.
According to the bank, the service will cover certain cryptoassets, stablecoins and tokenized versions of real-world assets. Patrick Lee, the bank's chief executive for Singapore and for ASEAN and South Asia, described Singapore as an important hub for financial innovation with growing demand for trusted digital asset services.
Standard Chartered has been expanding in crypto. In 2025 it opened a London desk for trading bitcoin and other crypto and launched Libeara, a blockchain unit that helps institutions tokenize traditional assets. Last month, it began offering bitcoin trading to institutional clients in the UAE.
Other banks are moving in a similar direction. Bitcoin Magazine noted that in 2022 BNY Mellon was the first big U.S. bank to provide custody for digital assets. Deutsche Bank said last month it intends to start a custody service for bitcoin, ether and some stablecoins for European business clients later in 2026, if regulators approve.
Why it matters for beginners
Custody means holding assets on someone else's behalf, and it is often the first step banks take into crypto. This service is aimed at institutions, not individual savers. For beginners, it is a reminder that who holds your coins matters: when a bank, exchange or other custodian keeps them, you depend on that firm's security and rules, while self-custody puts the full responsibility on you.
Source
Finvane summary of reporting by Bitcoin Magazine. Facts and figures come from the original report; the wording is ours.
Read the original report: Standard Chartered to Offer Digital Asset Custody in Singapore ↗For education only, not financial advice. Crypto assets are volatile and you can lose money.