KEY FACTS: Standard Chartered, a global banking giant, has partnered with FalconX, a leading digital assets prime broker, to provide institutional investors with enhanced banking services. This collaboration integrates Standard Chartered’s robust banking infrastructure, initially offering diverse currency pairs for efficient cross-border settlements, with plans to expand into additional products like crypto custody. FalconX, valued at $8 billion and serving over 600 institutional clients, strengthens its position as a bridge between traditional finance and crypto.
Source: Standard Chartered, FalconX
Standard Chartered Partners with FalconX to Boost Institutional Crypto Access
Global banking giant Standard Chartered has announced a strategic partnership with FalconX, a leading digital assets prime broker, to enhance banking services for institutional investors in the crypto market. The collaboration, unveiled on May 14, 2025, aims to provide FalconX’s global institutional clients with seamless access to Standard Chartered’s robust banking infrastructure, marking a pivotal step in bridging the gap between conventional financial systems and the rapidly evolving digital asset ecosystem.
The partnership is unveiled at the surge of institutional demand for cryptocurrencies, driven by increasing regulatory clarity, the approval of spot Bitcoin exchange-traded funds (ETFs) in the United States, and Bitcoin’s recent price rally past $103,000. Standard Chartered, a London-headquartered bank with a strong presence in Asia, the Middle East, and Africa, has been steadily expanding its footprint in the digital asset space. This collaboration with FalconX shows the bank’s commitment to supporting the growing appetite for crypto investments among institutional players such as asset managers, hedge funds, token issuers, and payment platforms.
Under the terms of the agreement, FalconX will integrate Standard Chartered’s banking infrastructure to offer its clients a comprehensive suite of banking services. Initially, the partnership will focus on providing access to a diverse range of currency pairs to facilitate efficient cross-border settlements for institutional investors. This move is expected to enhance the speed, reliability, and security of transactions in the crypto market, addressing a key pain point for institutions navigating the complexities of digital asset trading.
Matt Long, FalconX’s General Manager for Asia-Pacific and the Middle East, hailed Standard Chartered as “one of the most forward-thinking global banks in digital asset adoption.” He emphasized that the partnership strengthens FalconX’s ability to deliver robust banking and foreign exchange (FX) solutions to its clients, who rely on the platform to operate in the fast-paced crypto markets. Long said in a statement:
“At FalconX, we support trading and financing for some of the world’s largest institutions in digital asset markets, and this relationship enhances our ability to meet their needs...”
Standard Chartered’s involvement is not limited to providing banking services. The partnership is designed to evolve beyond its initial scope, with plans to explore additional products and services tailored to the needs of both FalconX and Standard Chartered’s institutional clients. This could include offerings such as crypto custody, tokenized financial instruments, and other innovative solutions to meet the growing demand for digital assets. Luke Boland, Head of Fintech for ASEAN, South Asia, and Greater China and North Asia at Standard Chartered, underscored the bank’s commitment to the sector, stating:
“As institutional demand for digital assets continues to grow, we’re proud to provide the banking infrastructure that enables firms like FalconX to deliver world-class trading and financing solutions.”
FalconX, founded in 2018 and headquartered in San Mateo, California, has emerged as a leading player in the institutional crypto market. The firm, valued at $8 billion following a mid-2022 funding round, serves over 600 institutional clients and has executed more than $1.5 trillion in trading volume by the end of 2023. Backed by prominent investors such as GIC, FalconX has positioned itself as a trusted prime broker, offering services such as trading, financing, and custody for digital assets. Its recent partnership with Standard Chartered is a testament to its strategic expansion efforts in the institutional crypto space.
The collaboration with Standard Chartered is particularly significant for FalconX as it marks the firm’s first partnership with a global traditional bank. This move seeks to bridge the gap between traditional finance (TradFi) and cryptocurrency by offering services that meet the rigorous standards of institutional investors. FalconX aims to provide its clients with the same level of reliability and sophistication they would expect from a traditional financial institution by leveraging Standard Chartered’s banking expertise.
Standard Chartered is no stranger to the cryptocurrency industry. The bank has been actively scaling its crypto operations over the past few years, positioning itself as a key player in the institutional digital asset market. It is the majority shareholder of Zodia Custody, a digital asset custodian, and its exchange arm, Zodia Markets, which provide secure storage and trading solutions for institutional clients. In September 2024, Standard Chartered launched a crypto custody service in the United Arab Emirates, further expanding its offerings in the Middle East.
Additionally, the bank has been involved in innovative pilots to advance the adoption of digital assets. In April 2025, Standard Chartered partnered with cryptocurrency exchange OKX to launch a program under the Dubai Virtual Asset Regulatory Authority (VARA), allowing institutions to use crypto assets and tokenized money market funds as collateral. This initiative, which featured participation from crypto-friendly asset manager Franklin Templeton and Brevan Howard Digital, highlighted Standard Chartered’s forward-thinking approach to integrating digital assets into traditional financial systems.
Standard Chartered’s bullish outlook on cryptocurrencies is also evident in its market predictions. The bank’s analysts, led by Geoffrey Kendrick, Head of Digital Assets Research, have made bold forecasts for various digital assets. For instance, Standard Chartered recently predicted that Binance’s BNB token could reach $2,775 by the end of 2028 and that XRP could overtake Ethereum to become the second-largest non-stablecoin digital asset by the same year. The bank also expects Bitcoin to hit $200,000 by the end of 2025 and potentially reach $500,000 by 2029, driven by increasing institutional adoption.
The partnership highlights the growing role of traditional financial institutions in shaping the future of the crypto industry. As global banks like Standard Chartered deepen their involvement, they bring not only capital but also credibility and infrastructure that can support the scalability and maturity of the digital asset market. Standard Chartered’s prediction that the crypto market could swell to $10 trillion by 2026 underscores the transformative potential of such collaborations.
The planned expansion into additional products and services could introduce new opportunities for innovation, such as tokenized financial instruments or enhanced custody solutions. For FalconX, the partnership strengthens its position as a leading prime broker in the institutional crypto market, while for Standard Chartered, it reinforces its role as a pioneer in the convergence of traditional and digital finance.
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