Standard Chartered signs Zodia Custody deal

Standard Chartered has signed definitive agreements to acquire 100% of Zodia Custody Limited, according to FX News Group. Definitive agreements are the binding contracts that follow a non-binding offer. The deal was announced on Wednesday 21 October 2026, after Zodia accepted the bank’s non-binding offer in May 2026.

Standard Chartered is already a shareholder in Zodia through SC Ventures, its investment and innovation arm. The deal is subject to regulatory approvals and customary closing conditions, so it has not yet completed. The acquisition covers Zodia Custody Limited, the parent of regulated entities in Singapore, Hong Kong, Australia, the United Arab Emirates and Luxembourg.

Custody moves in, software moves out

Custody means safekeeping client assets, here digital assets such as cryptocurrencies, on behalf of institutions. The Zodia Custody business will be integrated into Standard Chartered’s digital asset custody offering within Securities Services, the division that provides custody and related services to institutional clients.

Zodia’s software and professional services business is a separate matter. It will go to Zodia Solutions, an independent entity under SC Ventures. Its backers include NAB Ventures, Northern Trust, SBI Ventures, Q Studio (part of Further Ventures), Emirates NBD, Zodia Investments (Investcorp) and Zodia Holdings, which is owned by SC Ventures. Zodia Solutions will keep serving institutions, including Standard Chartered.

No disruption is expected, and existing custody clients will continue to be serviced as usual.

“The acquisition of Zodia Custody further deepens our digital asset custody portfolio and reinforces our position as a leading provider of digital asset services globally.”

Ying Ying Tan, Global Head of Securities Services and Digital Assets, Standard Chartered

Richard Clark, chief executive of Zodia Custody, said: “As institutional adoption of digital assets accelerates, custody is increasingly becoming part of the global banking landscape.”

What brokers and prop firms should check

Brokers, proprietary trading firms and others that use Zodia for client or treasury digital-asset custody may want to check their contracts and service terms for change-of-control provisions and integration effects once the deal completes. They should also note that the software business becomes a separate supplier under Zodia Solutions.