British multinational Standard Chartered on Wednesday announced a bitcoin trading service for affluent clients in the United Arab Emirates. The bank said the service is the first such offering by an international bank in the UAE.

The launch follows the bank's debut of bitcoin trading for institutional clients in the UAE last month, extending access from institutions to the bank's affluent individual customers. Standard Chartered became one of the first global banks to enter the spot crypto trading space when it set up a trading desk for bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies in London in 2025.

JUST IN: Standard Chartered becomes the first international bank in the UAE to offer Bitcoin trading directly through eligible clients' bank accounts pic.twitter.com/uPVQV9D8SJ

— Bitcoin Magazine (@BitcoinMagazine) October 14, 2026

“As client interest in digital assets continues to grow, this launch represents a significant milestone for Standard Chartered as we bring digital assets into our core wealth offering,” said Samir Subberwal, Standard Chartered's global head of wealth solutions, retail products, data and analytics.

“With digital assets moving into mainstream wealth conversations, clients are increasingly looking not only for access, but also for the security, trust and confidence that comes from investing through a regulated and trusted institution.”

Rola Abu Manneh, Standard Chartered's chief executive officer for the UAE, Middle East and Pakistan, added: “We are proud to be the first international bank in the UAE to launch a cryptocurrency trading offering.”

Through the new service, clients can buy bitcoin directly via their bank accounts, with no third-party apps or wallets required, the bank said. Standard Chartered added that it will manage end-to-end custody and settlement through a closed-loop model, reducing exposure to third-party wallet risks.

The British bank is expanding its crypto-related offerings worldwide. Earlier this month, it said it plans to offer crypto custody services for institutional clients in Singapore. Standard Chartered already offers the service in the UAE, Luxembourg, and Hong Kong.

The announcement comes as banks worldwide integrate or offer bitcoin-related products and services. A number of U.S. and European banks have started offering crypto-related services by custodying assets for institutions, while others are offering trading through their flagship apps.

The bank did not detail the eligibility requirements for the service in its announcement, nor whether the trading offering will extend to other markets where it already provides crypto custody.

Standard Chartered unveiled the offering in an official press release.

This article is based on reporting by Mathew Di Salvo, first published on Bitcoin Magazine.