OKX and Standard Chartered Strengthen Crypto Trading in Europe

OKX, a well-known crypto exchange, has expanded its custody services with a partnership with Standard Chartered into the European Economic Area (EEA). This move lets institutional investors trade on OKX while their digital assets stay safely stored with Standard Chartered.

OKX and Standard Chartered Create a Safer Trading Model

In traditional finance, trading and custody are usually kept separate to reduce risk. However, this structure is still uncommon in the crypto industry. Many institutions have become more cautious since the collapse of FTX in 2022, where billions of dollars in customer funds were lost. 

As a result, there is a growing demand for trading solutions that keep assets protected even while transactions take place. With this partnership, OKX and Standard Chartered offer a model that does exactly that. 

Institutional clients can keep their digital assets in Standard Chartered’s custody accounts. Those balances are then mirrored on OKX’s platform. This means clients can trade without giving control of their assets to the exchange. 

It helps lower risk and assures institutions that their funds stay safe while they trade. OKX’s expansion into the EEA follows a program first launched in the United Arab Emirates earlier this year.

Standard Chartered Brings Banking Security to Crypto Trading

Standard Chartered is one of the world’s biggest and most trusted banks. By teaming up with OKX, the bank is bringing the same strong security and rules it uses in regular finance to digital assets.

The partnership gives clients both safe custody and the trading tools they need. Standard Chartered holds the assets securely, while OKX provides access to liquidity and trading features.

OKX’s European operations are covered by the Markets in Crypto-Assets (MiCA) rules. This means institutions get clearer regulation and can be sure trading follows European compliance standards. Together, OKX’s regulated trading platform and Standard Chartered’s custody create a clearer, more trusted way for institutions to trade crypto. 

Impressively, the bank is currently the only global systemically important bank working directly with a crypto exchange like this.

Industry Trend Toward Off-Exchange Custody

OKX, which is considering going public in the U.S., has made similar moves in the past. In 2024, it partnered with Komainu to provide institutional clients with off-exchange custody solutions. Other big crypto platforms like Binance, Deribit, and Bitget have started using similar systems.
This shows the crypto industry is moving toward safer and more trustworthy ways to trade that meet the standards institutions expect.

The trend also fits with clearer rules in Europe and the United States, where regulators are supporting transparent and secure systems for institutions to trade crypto.