Update
Standard Chartered Launches Bitcoin and Ether Trading in UAE
Standard Chartered, a banking giant, has launched Bitcoin (BTC) and Ether (ETH) trading desks for wealthy private clients in the UAE. This service is the first of its kind from an international bank in this jurisdiction. The launch is part of Standard Chartered's SC Ventures strategy, which previously invested in custodian firms and market operators. The bank is using custody infrastructure based on the XRP Ledger (XRPL) for the service, which allows RLUSD to be used as trading collateral in real time while keeping the assets within Standard Chartered's custody perimeter. The integration is focused exclusively on the ledger's stablecoins and does not involve trading or holding the native XRP token on the balance sheet.