Standard Chartered Executes First Institutional Bitcoin Prime Brokerage Trades

Standard Chartered became one of the first major global banks to act as credit intermediary for Bitcoin trades using its own balance sheet, executing spot Bitcoin trades with LMAX Group in a pilot that advances bank-backed crypto market infrastructure.

• Standard Chartered executed spot Bitcoin (XBT/USD) trades as credit intermediary using its own balance sheet, not a third-party partner.
• The trades settled through LMAX Digital, LMAX Group's regulated institutional venue, and the bank's custody platform in Dubai.
• Prime brokerage is standard in equities and FX but has been largely absent in crypto, where institutions still trade directly on exchanges.
• In 2025, flows through crypto prime brokers and OTC desks grew more than 10x faster than direct exchange flows.
• The pilot tested credit, margin, risk management, settlement and reporting within existing regulatory frameworks.

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