Standard Chartered has announced a new partnership with B2C2 that aims to expand institutional access to digital asset markets.

As part of the move, B2C2, which specialises in institutional liquidity for digital assets, will offer its client base of asset managers, hedge funds, corporate, and family officers future direct connectivity and liquidity provision to the bank's network of banking rails and settlement facilities.

The partnership combines Standard Chartered’s global banking infrastructure with B2C2’s crypto liquidity across spot and options markets, with the collaboration aiming to bridge the traditional finance and crypto markets whilst reducing friction in fiat-to-crypto flows and enabling "faster and more reliable" settlement.

Standard Chartered said the move comes as institutional adoption of digital assets continues to accelerate across Asia and beyond, driven by growing demand for regulated access to crypto as an emerging asset class.

“As digital assets move from the periphery to the core of global finance, we are enabling regulated, scalable market linkage without compromising execution or risk management," said Luke Boland, head of FinTech, Asia, Standard Chartered.

Thomas Restout, group chief executive at B2C2, said that Standard Chartered’s global reach, strong regulatory credentials and commitment to digital assets make it an "ideal strategic counterpart" as it expands its institutional footprint.

"Together, we are building a durable connectivity layer between traditional finance and the digital asset ecosystem," continued the chief executive.

Standard Chartered last year became the first global systemic bank to offer cryptoasset trading to institutional investors.

The fully integrated digital asset trading service is targeted at institutional clients, including corporations, investors and asset managers.

The service expanded the bank's growing range of capabilities in the digital asset space, with the multinational bank already offering digital asset custody and trading services through its corporate and investment bank and through its Zodia Custody and Zodia Markets initiatives, as well as digital asset tokenisation services through another initiative, Libeara.

In August 2025, Standard Chartered formed Anchorpoint Financial, a joint venture with Animoca Brands and Hong Kong Telecommunications (HKT), to apply for a stablecoin issuer licence in Hong Kong.

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