Standard Chartered to Acquire Zodia Custody
The bank's deal brings its institutional digital asset custodian under its Securities Services division, with completion subject to regulatory approvals.
Updated on Nov. 10, 2026 in Financial Services
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On 21 October 2026, Standard Chartered agreed to acquire 100% of Zodia Custody Limited, its institutional digital asset custodian. Zodia Custody's software and professional services arm is being transferred to a newly established entity, Zodia Solutions, under SC Ventures.
Why it matters
The combination is intended to offer institutional clients a unified custody service spanning traditional and digital asset securities, removing the operational separation between the two. Completion depends on regulatory approvals and customary closing conditions.
Standard Chartered I H Limited will acquire 100% of Zodia Custody Limited, which operates regulated entities in five jurisdictions. No purchase price or capitalisation figures for Zodia Solutions were disclosed.
The players
Standard Chartered
Standard Chartered is a London-headquartered international banking group with a major presence across Asia, Africa and the Middle East.
Zodia Custody
Zodia Custody is an institutional digital asset custodian that holds regulated licences in Singapore, Hong Kong, Australia, the United Arab Emirates and Luxembourg.
Ying Ying Tan
Ying Ying Tan is Standard Chartered's global head of securities services and digital assets, overseeing the bank's custody and digital asset business.
The details
Zodia Custody will sit inside Standard Chartered's Securities Services division as its regulated business, while its software and professional services arm moves to Zodia Solutions under SC Ventures. A consortium of bank investors, including NAB Ventures, Northern Trust Corporation, SBI Ventures, Further Ventures (Q Studio), Emirates NBD, Investcorp's Zodia Investments and SC Ventures, will support Zodia Solutions, which will keep providing custody infrastructure to financial institutions including Standard Chartered.
Timeline
21 October 2026: Standard Chartered announces the agreement to acquire Zodia Custody.
Completion is pending regulatory approvals and customary closing conditions, with no timeline given.
Market Landscape
The move places Standard Chartered among banks integrating regulated digital asset custody into traditional securities services rather than running it as a standalone unit. Bank-backed investors joining Zodia Solutions signal that institutional custody infrastructure is being built as shared plumbing across competing lenders.
For institutional clients of Standard Chartered's Securities Services, the deal points toward a single custody offering covering both traditional and digital assets once it closes. Individual customers see no immediate change, as completion depends on regulatory approvals that have not been scheduled.
The takeaway
Banks are moving digital asset custody out of separate units and into core securities businesses, which may make institutional custody offerings more uniform across traditional and crypto assets. Watch for regulatory sign-offs in each of the five jurisdictions before assuming the combined service is live.
Further reading
For broader context on how banks are restructuring their custody operations, see Financial Services.
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