British multinational bank Standard Chartered is claiming bragging rights of being the first global banking institution to introduce spot trading for Bitcoin (BTC) and Ethereum (ETH) for institutional clients through its UK branch.

Standard Chartered has launched a new trading service allowing institutional clients like corporates, asset managers, and investors to trade the top two cryptocurrencies.

This move makes Standard Chartered the “first global systematically important bank to offer secure, regulated and scalable access to Bitcoin and Ether deliverable spot trading,” the bank said in a July 15 press release.

The offering will be initially available via Standard Chartered’s UK entity during Asia and European trading hours, with 24/5 access under review as client demand grows.

“Digital assets are a foundational element of the evolution in financial services,” said Standard Chartered group chief executive Bill Winters. “They’re integral to enabling new pathways for innovation, greater inclusion, and growth across the industry. As client demand accelerates further, we want to offer clients a route to transact, trade, and manage digital asset risk safely and efficiently within regulatory requirements.”

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The new crypto offering is fully integrated with Standard Chartered’s existing trading platforms, allowing institutional clients to access crypto assets through familiar foreign exchange interfaces, the announcement noted. 

“We are applying our global expertise, infrastructure, and risk management frameworks that our clients trust to the digital assets space,” said Tony Hall,  Global Head of Trading and XVA, Markets at Standard Chartered. “With growing interest in regulated digital assets solutions, we are well-positioned to meet client needs while capturing the opportunities in this space.”

Moreover, clients can settle trades with their preferred custodian, including Standard Chartered’s proprietary custody solution. The bank’s focus for now will remain on Bitcoin and Ether spot trading with plans to extend the services suite for these crypto assets, including the launch of crypto non-deliverable forwards (NDFs) trading.

Standard Chartered has been involved with crypto for some time now as institutional adoption of the sector grows. 

The bank now offers digital asset custody and over-the-counter trading through the companies it has invested in, such as Zodia Custody and Zodia Markets. In 2023, StanChart introduced a blockchain unit called Libeara to assist institutions with digital asset tokenization services.

Earlier this month, Standard Chartered’s Global Head of Digital Assets Research Geoffrey Kendrick forecasted that BTC will reach $135,000 by the end of Q3 and reaffirmed a $200,000 target by the end of this year, citing growing ETF inflows, increased corporate treasury buying, and regulatory policy catalysts. The alpha crypto was trading hands at $117,085 as of publication time, marking a -3.9% change on the day as traders took profits from recent gains.