Singapore—It’s just after 5 a.m. SGT, February 13, 2026.
- Standard Chartered is teaming up with crypto liquidity provider B2C2, aiming to broaden institutional access to digital assets. 1
- B2C2 clients are in line to get future direct access to Standard Chartered’s banking rails and settlement systems under the deal. 2
- Standard Chartered’s U.S.-listed ADR gained 1.37% on Feb. 11, then dropped 5.08% the next day, according to Investing.com data. 3
Standard Chartered said it’s teaming up with crypto market maker B2C2, connecting B2C2’s client base to the bank’s payment network and settlement services as part of a push to broaden institutional access to digital assets. 4
The news drops while banks and brokers push to shape crypto trading into something more recognizable—tighter controls, less workaround, and stronger links. Standard Chartered pointed out that institutional uptake has picked up speed in Asia and further afield. 5
The focus here is on the underlying infrastructure. “Fiat-to-crypto” flows refer to converting government money—think dollars—into digital assets and vice versa, wrapping up with settlement. LeapRate noted the partnership is designed to trim friction and speed up settlement, with an eye on making the process more reliable. 6
B2C2 is set to give asset managers, hedge funds, corporates, and family offices the chance to directly tap into Standard Chartered’s “banking rails”—those underlying payment and settlement systems moving cash around—according to the agreement. The firms also said B2C2 will handle liquidity across spot crypto and options markets, aiming to let clients trade without shaking up prices. 7
Standard Chartered’s Asia fintech chief, Luke Boland, called the agreement “regulated, scalable market linkage without compromising execution or risk management.” 8
Thomas Restout, chief executive at B2C2, described Standard Chartered as an “ideal strategic counterpart,” adding that both companies are working together to “build a durable connectivity layer” bridging traditional finance with digital assets. According to Finextra, B2C2 is majority owned and backed by Japan’s SBI, and it offers 24/7 execution services for institutional clients. 9
Neither company specified when “direct connectivity” might launch. Timing remains unclear, and the offering could look different depending on the market.
Standard Chartered has taken another step into digital assets. Its UK branch rolled out a trading service for institutional clients in July 2025, debuting with deliverable spot trades in bitcoin and ether. The bank also signaled plans to bring in non-deliverable forwards, a type of derivative that settles in cash—not in the actual coins. 10
Back then, Reuters noted that Standard Chartered was already in the crypto game via its subsidiaries, Zodia Markets and Zodia Custody. Zodia Markets, specifically, gave clients access to trading over 70 different crypto assets. The article also flagged a wider industry move—other banks considering bigger crypto roles, and France’s Societe Generale rolling out its own dollar-pegged stablecoin. 11
The risks stick out: Crypto markets remain volatile, regulations shift from one country to the next, and banks are bound to regulatory timelines. Just because there’s a partnership on paper doesn’t mean a working connection across borders is a given.
Standard Chartered is offering clients a simpler route—regulated access that skips having to go through crypto exchanges at each stage. B2C2, for its part, gets an opportunity to feed its liquidity directly into a global bank’s settlement system, aiming to streamline the process.
