A major traditional bank is reshaping its institutional crypto playbook. Standard Chartered is rolling out a dedicated crypto prime brokerage unit through its venture arm SC Ventures, targeting institutional players with an integrated package—custody infrastructure, leverage financing, and trading execution bundled together.

What makes this move interesting isn't just the service stack. The bank structured this through its VC division specifically to sidestep Basel III's punitive 1,250% capital charge treatment that applies to crypto holdings. By routing the business through the venture arm rather than the main banking entity, Standard Chartered essentially engineered a regulatory workaround that keeps balance sheet impact minimal while scaling crypto exposure.

This signals how traditional finance is getting surgical about market entry—not just offering services, but designing the entire infrastructure to optimize against regulatory friction. For institutions seeking compliant, full-stack crypto prime brokerage capabilities, this represents another credibility signal that legacy banking infrastructure is cementing its place in the digital asset ecosystem.