Standard Chartered has made the UAE its first market where individual clients can buy and sell bitcoin and ether directly through its mobile app, and says it is the first international lender in the country to offer direct digital-asset trading through its own app.
The service runs under a Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority (VARA) broker-dealer license issued on 24 August 2026, covering Dubai outside the DIFC. The approval brings VARA’s total to 58 fully licensed providers.
Access is limited to Professional Investors who are UAE residents over 21 with a banking relationship of at least AED 4 million. Orders range from USD 50 to USD 50,000, payable in dollars or dirhams, with a spread capped at 2% and no separate transaction or custody fees.
Trading, custody and settlement stay inside the bank’s closed-loop system, developed with SC Ventures-backed Zodia Markets. The launch follows September’s rollout of institutional spot trading through Standard Chartered DIFC, supervised by the DFSA.
Gulf Economist Staff Writer