Standard Chartered and Coinbase announced an expanded collaboration on December 12, 2025 to develop a suite of services for institutional investors.
Based on reports from both firms, the work will focus on trading, principal services, custody, stake and lending for banks, funds and other large players.
building on existing work
The companies said the incentive builds on an existing arrangement in Singapore where Standard Chartered offers a banking link that lets customers transfer Singapore dollars from Coinbase in real-time. That setup helped propel Coinbase to the island city’s trading market on November 12, 2025.
What do they plan to explore
Coinbase and Standard Chartered described five areas they will explore together: trading, core services, custody, staking, and lending. These include the order execution, financing and custody options that larger clients typically demand.
Both parties framed the effort as an attempt to give institutional users secure, regulated ways to hold and transfer digital assets.
Why does this step matter?
Institutional investors are demanding the same services they get in traditional markets – custody with strong controls, credit and financing options, and execution tools tied to regulated banking rails.
Standard Chartered launched spot trading for Bitcoin and Ether for its institutional clients earlier this year, an effort that shows the bank is building out its crypto capabilities as demand grows.
Middle path for banks and crypto firms
Coinbase brings its own institutional trading platform and market access; Standard Chartered brings global payments rails, FX handling and a bank compliance framework.
The result, the partners say, should be a way for large investors to trade and protect digital assets while following familiar banking rules and procedures.
Other banks and major brokers are also forming relationships with crypto firms or building in-house services, so the announcement is part of a broader effort to give regulated options to larger clients.
For institutional traders, having multiple, regulated pathways for crypto trading and settlement helps reduce single-point dependency and can reduce operational risk.
Public launch date or pricing
Neither company provided any timetable or fee details when they announced the expansion. For now, the plan is to develop and test product ideas for institutional clients in the regions where each firm operates.
The announcement highlights how more traditional finance players and crypto companies are working together to meet demand from larger clients.
Display image from Standard Chartered, charts from Trading View
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