Standard Chartered Launches Trading for Bitcoin and Ethereum

Standard Chartered Bank has enabled institutional clients to trade Bitcoin and Ethereum, according to a press release . The largest British financial conglomerate has become the first among systemically important organizations to launch regulated spot cryptocurrency trading with physical delivery. Standard Chartered’s corporate clients, investment funds, and asset managers can trade XBT/USD and ETH/USD pairs via the standard FX interface at the bank’s UK division. ”Demand for regulated digital asset solutions is growing, and we are ready to offer clients the tools they need,” said Standard Chartered Chief Executive Bill Winters. For settlement, both third-party vaults and Standard Chartered’s own custodial service, Zodia Custody—which launched in 2020—are available. The bank also plans to add settlement of non-deliverable forward (NDF) contracts soon. There is a notable divergence in asset preferences between institutional and retail investors. According to The Block, Wintermute experts have observed that large players are ramping up their investments in Bitcoin and Ethereum: these two highly capitalized cryptocurrencies now make up approximately 70% of institutional portfolios, whereas for retail investors, the figure has fallen to 37%. ”This is not a temporary trend, but a sign of market maturity. Institutions view cryptoassets as macro assets, while retail continues to look for high-yielding but risky opportunities,” said Wintermute CEO Evgeny Gaevoy. Newer meme coins such as BONK, WIF, and POPCAT are especially popular among retail investors, while more established coins like DOGE, SHIB, and PEPE remain leaders of the GMCI MEME index. The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission currently has several applications pending for spot Dogecoin ETFs. Wintermute analysts believe that a positive decision from the regulator could further boost retail demand for meme coins.

Source: Coinpaper