Standard Chartered’s Zodia Custody Deal Signals Banks’ Deeper Push Into Digital Assets

Standard Chartered is moving toward a full acquisition of Zodia Custody, with CEO Julian Sawyer saying the deal is on track to target signing at the end of June and completion by the end of August. Sawyer told CoinDesk that the transaction would fold Zodia Custody’s digital custody operations into the bank, while the Zodia Custody brand is expected to disappear over the medium term.

The development matters because it points to a broader shift in institutional crypto: major banks are looking beyond experiments and toward established digital asset infrastructure. Sawyer framed the deal as validation for the sector, arguing that banks will need trusted technology to hold digital assets as tokenization and stablecoin payments become larger parts of financial services.

Under the acquisition plan, Standard Chartered’s existing digital custody businesses in Dubai, Luxembourg and Hong Kong would merge with Zodia Custody and operate under the Standard Chartered brand. Sawyer declined to disclose the purchase amount or valuation.

A separate company, Zodia Solutions, is expected to carry forward the software and infrastructure side of the business. According to the report, that entity will be backed by existing bank shareholders including Northern Trust, Emirates NBD and National Australia Bank.

Sawyer also pointed to uneven but accelerating regulatory development across global markets. He cited progress in Asia and Singapore, along with new rules in Hong Kong and Abu Dhabi, and said the crypto industry is moving closer to banking because compliance requirements such as KYC and AML are becoming central to institutional adoption.