Bitcoin Magazine

Standard Chartered to Offer Digital Asset Custody in Singapore

Standard Chartered plans to offer crypto custody services for institutional clients in Singapore, the British multinational has said. 

Institutional and corporate clients increasingly want secure, regulated, bank-grade custody for digital assets, the bank said Thursday. Standard Chartered already offers the service in the United ‌Arab Emirates, Luxembourg, and Hong Kong.

“Singapore is an important centre for financial innovation, with a strong institutional ecosystem and growing demand for trusted digital asset solutions,” Patrick Lee, CEO, Singapore and CEO, ASEAN & South Asia, Standard Chartered, said. 

JUST IN: Standard Chartered Bank announced its plans to provide custody services for Bitcoin and digital assets today pic.twitter.com/Ynmdd5VEtP

— Bitcoin Magazine (@BitcoinMagazine) October 8, 2026

“Robust infrastructure will be critical to supporting the secure movement, safekeeping, and servicing of tokenised assets at an institutional scale.”

Banks worldwide are integrating or offering bitcoin-related products and services. A number of U.S. and European banks have started offering crypto-related services by custodying assets for institutions.

Standard Chartered added the custody service would be for “selected cryptoassets, stablecoins and tokenized real-world assets.” 

Tokenization is a hot topic on Wall Street as a number of traditional finance firms do deals with crypto companies, mostly to bring stocks on the blockchain to allow for 24-7 trading. Other assets are also being considered or debuted. 

In 2025, Standard Chartered set up a trading desk for bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies in London, making it one of the first global banks to enter spot cryptocurrency trading.

The crypto desk became part of the forex trading operation. The bank the same year launched a blockchain unit called Libeara to help institutions tokenize traditional assets. 

Last month, the bank debuted bitcoin trading in the UAE for institutional clients. 

Crypto custody is often a starting point for banks moving into the digital asset space. BNY Mellon in 2022 became the first major U.S. bank to offer digital asset custody services. 

And last month, Germany’s Deutsche Bank said it plans to launch a custody service for bitcoin, ether and select stablecoins for European corporate and institutional clients later in 2026, pending regulatory approval.

This post Standard Chartered to Offer Digital Asset Custody in Singapore first appeared on Bitcoin Magazine and is written by Mathew Di Salvo.

Bitcoin Magazine

Bitcoin Privacy Legend Amir Taaki Deported From Singapore 

Crypto-anarchist, former Bitcoin Core contributor and cypherpunk legend Amir Taaki is in trouble again. 

Writing on X Tuesday, the developer said that he was questioned by Singaporean police before being deported from the country about “what I work on.” 

British-Iranian programmer Taaki, who was one of the first Bitcoin contributors, claims he has been in trouble with certain countries since spending time fighting with the Kurdish People’s Protection Units in Syria years ago. 

Just got questioned for 6 hours by glow police then deported from Singapore. Everything about what I work on.

The extralegal glow regime charge my friends with fake things like money laundering. But they have nothing on me so they strike from the shadow. Weak coward tactics.… pic.twitter.com/l3SPA7lwWR

— Amir Taaki ⛛ (@lunardragon420) October 6, 2026

Taaki, who has made significant contributions to bitcoin privacy over the years, today is working on a crypto privacy protocol called DarkFi. 

“The extralegal glow regime charge my friends with fake things like money laundering,” wrote Taaki.

“But they have nothing on me so they strike from the shadow. Weak coward tactics. Face me bitch.”

Taaki added that in the past year alone, he has also been deported from Argentina and Mexico, and detained in Serbia and Japan. 

He continued: “Every time it happens I ask why and they always tell me it’s just a random check,” adding that authorities never give reasons for why he is being detained or questioned. 

“I am on a list but I am not able to find any info about which country has sanctioned me.”

Taaki, who has contributed to Bitcoin Magazine, first faced trouble with British authorities after going to Syria to fight against the Islamic State group back in 2016. 

He said in a 2017 BBC interview that he spent three and half months fighting with the Kurdish People’s Protection Units before helping with community projects in the country. 

Privacy-focused Taaki, wrote the first implementations of CoinJoin and stealth addresses, created libbitcoin, and founded the UK’s first Bitcoin exchange.

He also authored BIP 0001, which set up the Bitcoin Improvement Proposal process.

This post Bitcoin Privacy Legend Amir Taaki Deported From Singapore  first appeared on Bitcoin Magazine and is written by Mathew Di Salvo.