Standard Chartered signed definitive agreements on 21 October to acquire Zodia Custody’s regulated custody business, advancing the proposal announced in May. Completion remains subject to regulatory approvals and customary closing conditions.[1]
Shareholders and noteholders accepted the bank’s non-binding offer on 18 May. At that stage, Standard Chartered said existing custody clients would continue receiving service without an expected interruption. The October signing advances the transaction; integration into Securities Services is specified for after completion.[2][1]
How the transaction separates the businesses
| Business | Planned structure |
|---|---|
| Custody operations | Standard Chartered I H Limited acquires 100% of Zodia Custody UK Limited, parent of operating entities in Singapore, Hong Kong, Australia, the UAE and Luxembourg.Source 1 |
| Software and professional services | Assets transfer to Zodia Solutions, a separate entity under SC Ventures that will supply financial institutions, including Standard Chartered.Source 1 |
The separation allows the bank to consolidate custody while a distinct supplier continues selling the infrastructure with which other institutions run digital-asset services.[1]
Zodia’s current Solutions documentation makes that boundary concrete. Institutions can deploy the platform in their preferred cloud environment, connect their own key-management system and configure approval workflows. The supplier says it does not hold or safeguard client assets: custody remains with the institution under its own permissions, or with a custodian it chooses.[3]
For a bank procuring that technology, infrastructure selection and custody responsibility therefore remain separate decisions. A white-labelled interface can sit on the supplier’s software while the institution retains its own operating model, governance and permissions. This gives the proposed split practical significance beyond a change in ownership.[3]
The signing announcement does not disclose consideration or a closing date.[1]
Sources & further reading
- Standard Chartered Signs Definitive Agreements to Acquire Zodia Custody Zodia Custody · 21 Oct 2026 · Accessed 21 Oct 2026
- Standard Chartered to acquire Zodia Custody’s custody business Standard Chartered · 18 May 2026 · Accessed 21 Oct 2026
- Zodia Solutions: deployment models and custody responsibilities Zodia Custody · Accessed 21 Oct 2026