Standard Chartered intends to offer custody for cryptocurrencies, stablecoins and tokenized assets to institutional and eligible corporate clients in Singapore, according to Cointelegraph.
Disclaimer: News content is based on public news sources and provided for information only. It does not constitute investment advice.
Standard Chartered has set out plans to provide custody for cryptocurrencies, stablecoins and tokenized assets to institutional and eligible corporate clients in Singapore, as reported by Cointelegraph. Custody in this context refers to the safekeeping and administration of client-held digital assets, a function distinct from trading, brokerage or investment advice. The stated client base is institutional and corporate rather than retail, in line with how global banks have generally approached the asset class. The announcement names Singapore as the market where the service would be offered.
Singapore has built one of Asia's more detailed regulatory frameworks for digital assets, with the Monetary Authority of Singapore overseeing the custody of digital payment tokens as a regulated activity under the Payment Services Act. That framework sets expectations on safeguarding client assets, a point banks weigh heavily when deciding whether to offer such services. The city-state has also hosted public-private tokenization workstreams, notably Project Guardian, in which several global banks including Standard Chartered have taken part. For a lender, an established licensing route and an existing supervisory relationship reduce the operational uncertainty of launching a custody business.
The plan builds on a presence Standard Chartered has already developed in the sector. The bank has backed Zodia Custody, an institutional digital asset custodian, and Zodia Markets, a related trading business, vehicles that let it serve clients without treating digital assets the same way as a conventional custody mandate on its own balance sheet. Peer institutions have moved in parallel, with several global custodians and universal banks launching or piloting digital asset custody and tokenization services over recent years. Announcing a Singapore service therefore positions the bank alongside rather than ahead of competitors in the institutional segment.
Custody is typically a fee-based activity: the provider earns from safekeeping, administration and record-keeping rather than from movements in asset prices. That makes it a comparatively contained entry point for banks seeking exposure to digital asset activity without proprietary trading. It also acts as infrastructure, since tokenized funds, stablecoin arrangements and collateral management all require a regulated party to hold the underlying assets. Practically, an institution that wants to hold digital assets first needs a custodian meeting its internal and regulatory standards, so custody capacity can shape how far other institutional services develop in a given market. Based on public news sources.
Custody means holding and safeguarding assets on a client's behalf, covering areas such as key management, record-keeping and administration. Trading, by contrast, involves buying and selling assets, usually earning a fee or spread. Standard Chartered's announcement covers the custody function, so clients would retain ownership while the bank handles safekeeping.
The Monetary Authority of Singapore regulates the custody of digital payment tokens under the Payment Services Act, giving providers a defined licensing route and rules on safeguarding client assets. The regulator has also run tokenization initiatives with global banks, which has made the market a testing ground for institutional digital asset services.
The plan targets institutional and eligible corporate clients rather than retail investors. Asset managers, funds and corporations are the typical users of bank custody arrangements, since they need a regulated third party to hold assets on their behalf.
What the bank has announced
Why Singapore is the chosen market
An extension of an existing footprint
How custody fits into a bank's business model
This article is rewritten from public news sources and further processed by AI. It is provided for information only and does not constitute investment advice — refer to the original source for the authoritative version.
The announced scope includes cryptocurrencies, stablecoins and tokenized assets. Tokenized assets generally refers to conventional instruments such as funds, bonds or deposits represented on a distributed ledger.
Custody is usually a fee-based service, generating revenue from safekeeping rather than from price movements, and it supports other activities such as tokenized fund settlement and collateral management. Because institutions generally need a regulated custodian before holding digital assets, custody is often an early step in a broader build-out.
