Standard Chartered Expands LMAX Group Partnership to Digital Asset Custody in DIFC and Luxembourg

Standard Chartered has announced its appointment as digital asset custodian of LMAX Group, a global financial markets technology company that operates institutional trading venues and provides execution, custody, and market data services for foreign exchange (FX) and digital assets, 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) authorization in June 2026.

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 infrastructure.

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. 

“As institutional clients continue to scale their digital asset businesses, they need trusted infrastructure that can operate seamlessly across markets and regulatory regimes,” Ole Matthiessen, Global Head, Transaction Services & Digital Assets Standard Chartered, said. “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, institutionalized 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., added: “Our MiCA authorization 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.”

Meanwhile, David Mercer, CEO, LMAX Group, shared his views on Standard Chartered establishing itself as a leading banking partner for the institutional digital asset market. “Following our successful collaboration in digital asset prime brokerage, this expanded custody partnership represents a natural next step,” he said. “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.”

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.