Banking giant Standard Chartered is reportedly planning to launch a prime brokerage for cryptocurrency trading amid a global push by banks to establish digital asset ventures and compete in the sector.
Standard Chartered Plans Crypto Expansion
On Monday, Bloomberg reported that London-based Standard Chartered is allegedly preparing to expand its crypto efforts with the launch of a prime brokerage for digital assets trading.
According to sources familiar with the matter, discussions are in the early stages, and an official timeline for the launch has not been defined. However, they revealed that the major global bank plans to launch the new crypto business within its venture capital (VC) unit SV Ventures.
Notably, Standard Chartered’s VC unit recently announced that it is developing Project37C, a joint venture related to digital assets, but did not specifically call the platform a crypto prime brokerage. The joint venture is set to offer custody, tokenization, and market access, and “complement the broader Standard Chartered digital asset ecosystem.”
At the time, Harald Eltvedt, Operating Member and Head of Venture Building at SV Ventures, affirmed that “as we see institutional engagement with digital assets accelerating, there is similarly a growing need for platforms that combine innovation with a high standard.”
As the report noted, the banking giant has been one of the most active global financial institutions in the digital assets sector. Notably, it has backed multiple crypto ventures, including custodians and institutional trading platforms.
In July, the institution became the first global systemically important bank to offer spot Bitcoin and Ethereum trading for institutional clients. In Q4 2025, Standard Chartered announced its partnership with crypto exchange OKX in the European Economic Area (EEA) and its collaboration with DCS Card Center as the banking partner for a credit card that enables users to make stablecoin transactions.
Last month, Standard Chartered expanded its partnership with Coinbase to develop a suite of crypto prime services for institutional clients, including trading, staking, custody, and lending.
Global Banking Rules’ Challenge
Bloomberg highlighted that Standard Chartered could benefit from launching the new business through SC Ventures, as it may help circumvent some strict capital requirements for digital assets in corporate and investment banks.
It’s worth noting that the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision (BCBS) released its standard for the “prudential treatment of banks’ exposures to cryptoassets” in 2022, including tokenized traditional assets, stablecoins, and unbacked digital assets.
Under Basel III rules, banks that hold cryptocurrencies face a risk charge far higher than with any other risk assets. The institutions are required to comply with a 1,250% risk charge for exposure to permissionless crypto assets such as Bitcoin and Ether. Meanwhile, some VC investments under the latest Basel capital package only face a 400% charge.
As reported by Bitcoinist, global regulators are in talks to review and potentially overhaul rules for banks’ crypto holdings, set to come into force in 2026. Senior executives stated that banks have largely interpreted the standards as a signal to avoid crypto “since they imposed a heavy capital burden on such holdings.”
However, the recent global shift toward the crypto industry has sparked debates at the BCBS regarding the suitability of these rules under the current environment, with major jurisdictions, including the US and UK, not committing to implementing them on time.
The US has been reportedly leading calls to amend these standards, arguing that the rules are “incompatible with the industry’s evolution,” particularly in the stablecoin sector. Moreover, some countries seem to agree with the US’s reasoning and favor reviewing the standards before they are widely implemented.
