Traditional financial giants are also starting to seriously explore cryptocurrencies. According to the latest reports, Standard Chartered Bank, headquartered in London with an asset management scale of $850 billion, is planning a significant move—establishing a cryptocurrency prime brokerage business under its venture capital arm, SC Ventures.

This is not just a test. Standard Chartered's plan is very clear: to provide a one-stop solution for hedge funds and asset management firms. When we say one-stop, we’re not joking—custody, financing, trading, clearing, all the core services that institutional investors need, none are missing. The current plan is still in the preliminary discussion stage; specific implementation details and timelines have not been fully finalized, but the signal is already very clear.

In plain terms, major global banks have moved past their previous cautious attitude toward digital assets. The old wait-and-see approach is outdated. The current situation is that cryptocurrencies are gradually integrating into the mainstream financial system. Why do institutional investors need prime brokers? Essentially, for security, liquidity, and cross-market convenience. With professional prime brokerage services, large funds can confidently move flexibly across multiple markets.

Standard Chartered’s decision to place this business under its venture capital division rather than its banking core is quite intriguing. There are deep considerations behind this structural choice—it allows entry into new sectors while gaining greater flexibility in regulation and capital requirements. This is a typical strategy for traditional financial institutions facing the Web3 era: cautious but not conservative, innovative but restrained.