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Standard Chartered Signs Agreement To Acquire Crypto Custodian Zodia Custody

British multinational Standard Chartered will buy digital asset custodian Zodia Custody, months after signing an agreement. 

A statement from London-based Zodia Custody on Wednesday said that the deal will see the company’s service integrated into Standard Chartered’s existing digital asset custody activities. 

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

“As institutional adoption of digital assets accelerates, custody is increasingly becoming part of the global banking landscape,” Zodia Custody CEO Richard Clark said. 

He added: “Zodia Custody has built a strong business with the specialist expertise and capabilities to meet the needs of institutional clients. 

“Bringing that expertise together with Standard Chartered’s global reach and established banking platform will strengthen its digital asset custody offering and provide institutions with greater access to trusted, regulated custody services worldwide.”

Ying Ying Tan, global head of securities services and digital assets at Standard Chartered, added that the deal “further deepens our digital asset custody portfolio and reinforces our position as a leading provider of digital asset services globally.”

Zodia Custody shareholders in May approved Standard Chartered’s offer to buy the company. 

The company works to custody bitcoin and other digital assets for institutional and asset managers. 

Standard Chartered has delved deeper into the crypto space in recent years. In 2025, the bank 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.

It has since debuted custody and trading services in countries around the world. 

Top banks worldwide are debuting or planning to debut crypto custody services, with State Street, Standard Chartered, U.S. Bank, and Citigroup all committing to direct crypto custody over the past 18 months.

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.   

This post Standard Chartered Signs Agreement To Acquire Crypto Custodian Zodia Custody first appeared on Bitcoin Magazine and is written by Mathew Di Salvo.

TL;DR: Standard Chartered has signed definitive agreements to acquire Zodia Custody, deepening its push into institutional digital asset safekeeping.

Standard Chartered is bringing one of its better-known digital asset ventures closer to the centre of the bank. On October 21, the banking group announced definitive agreements to acquire 100% of Zodia Custody Limited through Standard Chartered I H Limited.

The agreement follows a previously accepted non-binding offer and remains subject to regulatory approvals and customary closing conditions. Until those steps are complete, this is a signed acquisition agreement rather than a completed takeover.

Zodia’s regulated custody operations are intended to be integrated into Standard Chartered’s Securities Services activities, where the bank already services traditional institutional assets. Its software and professional-services business will instead be separated into Zodia Solutions under SC Ventures, with participation from existing institutional backers.

That split tells an interesting story about where traditional finance sees value in crypto. Keeping custody alongside established securities services could make it easier for institutional customers to access both, while a separate technology business can supply infrastructure to a wider group of financial firms. Standard Chartered says existing Zodia custody clients should see no disruption during the process. The integration, not a speculative token launch, is the real development to watch.

Written by the News Desk and edited by Samuel Rae.