Standard Chartered to acquire Zodia Custody, bringing crypto custody in-house
Ecosystem ·
Standard Chartered Bank has signed definitive agreements to acquire Zodia Custody, moving regulated digital asset custody services directly into the bank while spinning the custodian's software operations into a separate unit under SC Ventures.
Zodia Custody is described as an institutional digital asset custodian, and its acquisition by Standard Chartered was confirmed across multiple reports, including one detailing the definitive agreements signed between the two parties. The deal brings a regulated custody function that previously operated under Zodia's own structure directly into Standard Chartered's operations.
As part of the transaction, Zodia's software operations are being separated into a standalone entity that will sit under SC Ventures, the bank's venture arm, rather than being absorbed wholesale into the bank itself. This split structure keeps the technology development side distinct from the custody operations that Standard Chartered is bringing in-house.
The move was covered by at least four distinct sources, with one account framing it plainly as an acquisition of the custodian by the bank. The consistency across reports centers on the same core elements: a definitive agreement, in-house custody integration, and a carve-out of software operations to SC Ventures.
Not yet detailed in the available material is the financial size of the transaction, the expected closing timeline, or how existing Zodia clients and partnerships will be handled through the transition. It also remains unclear what role, if any, Zodia's prior ownership structure will retain once the software arm is spun out separately from the custody business now moving under Standard Chartered.