Is Standard Chartered crypto friendly?

Yes for institutions, through spot trading, custody and stablecoins. Retail customers get little beyond the Mox app in Hong Kong.

CBL Score: 8 of 16

Criterion	Score	Source
Accepts exchange transfers	partial (1)	unverified
Stablecoin off-ramp	partial (1)	source · checked 8 September 2026
Business accounts for Web3	partial (1)	source · checked 8 September 2026
Custody	yes (2)	source · checked 8 September 2026
Staking and yield	partial (1)	source · checked 8 September 2026 secondary source
Card	no (0)	source · checked 8 September 2026
Multiple jurisdictions	yes (2)	source · checked 8 September 2026
Open to retail	no (0)	source · checked 8 September 2026

Total 8 of 16. Yes scores 2, partial 1, no 0. A secondary source is press or a third party rather than the bank or its regulator. Unverified means no source could be found; the score stands until one is.

Standing

Jurisdiction	UK · global
Type	Traditional
Health tag	Watch A strong global bank with a repeated sanctions-penalty history, most recently settled in 2019 for over $1bn. · checked 26 August 2026
Last verified	8 September 2026

If they close your account

Closure policy: Partial

Partial: the terms say you are told the reason, but the notice is under 60 days or not stated, or moving your money during notice is conditional or not stated.

Notice	Singapore Customer Terms clause 27.1: either party may end the banking agreement by prior notice in writing; the customer must give two banking days, but no fixed period is set for the bank. Clause 27.3: the bank may end any product with or without notice on listed grounds such as incorrect information, non-payment, breach of terms, sanctions or legal requirements. Account Terms clause 10.1(a): the bank can close or suspend an account at any time and will notify the customer as soon as it can.
Reasons given	By category only (terms breach, security risk, missing documents)
Access to funds	Customer Terms clause 28.1: after termination the customer must repay all amounts owing. Account Terms clause 10.1(b) says a credit balance is paid out, less amounts owed, when the customer closes the account; the terms do not spell out how a balance is returned after a bank-initiated closure. Clause 10.4: no interest is paid on unclaimed balances in closed or suspended accounts.
Appeal	Clause 37.1: complain to the bank first. Clause 37.2: if unhappy with the outcome, the customer may go to the Financial Industry Disputes Resolution Centre (FIDReC). Clause 37.3: claims under S$30,000 must first go to the Singapore Mediation Centre.
Names crypto as a ground for closure	no

Sources: Standard Chartered Singapore Customer Terms, Part H clauses 27 and 28 and Part K clause 37 · official, checked 23 September 2026
Standard Chartered Singapore Account Terms, clause 10 Suspension, Closure and Termination · official, checked 23 September 2026

A closure usually starts as a freeze. The Frozen Account Survival Kit covers the first 48 hours. Every bank side by side: which banks tell you why they closed your account.

What Standard Chartered allows and blocks

Opening an account

• Institutional spot trading, custody and HKDAP distribution are for eligible institutional clients only. Onboarding runs through the bank's corporate and institutional coverage teams, not an online form.
• Zodia Custody states its products are exclusively available to institutional investors: asset managers, financial institutions, hedge funds, private wealth managers and government entities.
• Retail accounts exist in Hong Kong, Singapore, the UAE, India and other footprint markets but carry no crypto features. The bank has no UK retail arm.
• Mox retail crypto trading in Hong Kong needs a Mox account and a Mox Invest activation. Only Bitcoin and Ether are offered under SFC rules.
• Expected opening times and minimum balances for institutional digital asset services are not published.

Fees that matter

• Fees for institutional spot crypto trading, custody and HKDAP conversion are not published. Pricing is agreed per client.
• Mox Hong Kong crypto trading charges 1.25 percent commission per trade for basic members and 0.5 percent for elite members, after a zero commission promotion in February 2026.
• Zodia Custody and Zodia Markets do not publish fee schedules.
• Singapore credit card cash advances and MCC 6051 transactions earn no rewards. Standard card FX and cash advance fees apply in each market.

Regulatory history

2019	Combined settlement of about 1.1 billion US dollars with OFAC (639 million), the DOJ, NYDFS (180 million), the Federal Reserve and the New York DA over Iran and other sanctions violations processed through the New York branch, plus an FCA fine of 102.2 million pounds for AML failings in UK correspondent banking and UAE branches. source
2021	PRA fined Standard Chartered Bank 46.55 million pounds for misreporting a USD liquidity metric and for a four month delay in telling the regulator. source
2026	Anchorpoint Financial, the Standard Chartered led joint venture with HKT and Animoca Brands, was granted a stablecoin issuer licence by the HKMA in April, and Standard Chartered Bank (Hong Kong) became the first bank distributor of HKDAP in August. source

See a mistake? Email hi@cryptobanklist.com. Every factual correction is logged on our corrections page.

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