Once integrated, Zodia Custody’s regulated business will sit inside Standard Chartered’s Securities Services division alongside its existing digital asset custody activities in the UAE and Luxembourg. The bank says the combination is intended to create a unified offering that covers both traditional and digital asset securities for institutional clients, removing the operational separation that has existed between the two lines.

A notable structural feature of the deal is the concurrent separation of Zodia Custody’s software and professional services arm. That business will be transferred to a newly established entity, Zodia Solutions, housed under SC Ventures rather than absorbed into the bank’s core. Zodia Solutions will continue to provide bank-grade custody infrastructure to financial institutions, including Standard Chartered itself.

A consortium of bank investors will support Zodia Solutions, including NAB Ventures, Northern Trust Corporation, SBI Ventures, Further Ventures (Q Studio), Emirates NBD, Investcorp’s Zodia Investments, and SC Ventures. The structure effectively preserves the vendor relationship with third-party institutions while giving Standard Chartered full ownership of the regulated custody entity. No financial terms for either the acquisition or the capitalisation of Zodia Solutions were disclosed.

Ying Ying Tan, global head of securities services and digital assets at Standard Chartered, said the deal “deepens our digital asset custody portfolio and reinforces our position as a leading provider of digital asset services globally, supported by the depth, breadth and global connectivity of an international cross-border bank.”

The acquisition reflects a broader consolidation trend in institutional digital asset custody.

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