Standard Chartered today announced its appointment as LMAX Group’s digital asset custodian through its DFSA-regulated Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC) Branch and Standard Chartered Luxembourg S.A. LMAX Group is the first client to join Standard Chartered Luxembourg’s digital asset custody platform following the Bank’s Markets in Crypto-Assets (MiCA) authorisation in June 20261.
The appointment builds on the firms’ successful collaboration announced in July 2026, when they executed the industry’s first live digital asset prime brokerage trades by combining Standard Chartered’s banking, credit and custody capabilities with LMAX Group’s regulated, institutional-grade digital asset market infrastructure2.
Under the expanded partnership across custody and settlement, Standard Chartered will provide secure digital asset custody services to support LMAX Group’s growing institutional digital asset business. The dual appointments through DIFC and Luxembourg provides LMAX Group with access to regulated custody solutions across key international financial centres, supporting the firm’s expanding institutional client base across the Middle East and Europe.
Ole Matthiessen, Global Head, Transaction Services & Digital Assets Standard Chartered said: “As institutional clients continue to scale their digital asset businesses, they need trusted infrastructure that can operate seamlessly across markets and regulatory regimes. By combining bank-grade custody in DIFC and Luxembourg with our broader trading and prime brokerage capabilities, Standard Chartered is helping to shape a connected, institutionalised digital asset ecosystem. We are pleased to partner with clients such as LMAX Group as they expand their digital asset proposition across markets.”
Margaret Harwood-Jones, Chair of the Board, Standard Chartered Luxembourg S.A., said: “Our MiCA authorisation marked an important step in Standard Chartered’s digital asset strategy in Europe, and we are proud to welcome LMAX Group as the first client to join our Luxembourg platform. This milestone demonstrates the growing demand for trusted, bank-grade digital asset infrastructure operating within a clear regulatory framework. We look forward to working with LMAX Group as we continue to build the foundations for the next generation of institutional digital asset markets.”
David Mercer, CEO, LMAX Group, said: “Standard Chartered is establishing itself as one of the leading banking partners for the institutional digital asset market. Following our successful collaboration in digital asset prime brokerage, this expanded custody partnership represents a natural next step. The combination of their regulated custody capabilities in both the DIFC and Luxembourg provides us, and the industry more broadly, with robust, institutional-grade infrastructure to support the continued growth of our digital asset business and the evolving needs of our clients.”
Building the future of institutional digital asset infrastructure
As part of their shared vision for the future of institutional digital asset markets, Standard Chartered and LMAX Group are exploring the development of off-exchange custody solutions designed to combine the safety of bank-grade custody with seamless access to institutional digital asset liquidity. The initiative aims to address one of the industry’s most important requirements: enabling market participants to access trading opportunities whilst maintaining custody of their assets with a trusted and regulated financial institution, supporting the next phase of institutional adoption through enhanced security, operational efficiency and risk management.
Standard Chartered and LMAX Group are committed to delivering secure, transparent and scalable market infrastructure that meets the standards and governance expectations of institutional investors globally.
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