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Standard Chartered expands further into crypto with stake in GSR at $1 billion valuation
SC Ventures, Standard Chartered’s venture capital division takes a $150 million stake in crypto trading firm GSR at a valuation of more than $1 billion, according to Bloomberg.
May 5, 2026, 12:00 p.m. 2 min read
What to know:
- Standard Chartered’s venture arm SC Ventures has invested about $150 million in crypto market maker GSR at a valuation above $1 billion, marking GSR’s first external stake since its 2013 founding.
- The deal is framed as a broader partnership to build regulated, scalable infrastructure that links traditional finance with digital assets and expands access to tokenization for institutional clients.
- The investment deepens Standard Chartered’s push into digital assets, following its launch of custody and spot bitcoin and ether trading services and its reported bid to fully acquire crypto custodian Zodia, while GSR continues to grow via acquisitions to bolster its tokenization business.
GSR and SC Ventures did not immediately respond to a CoinDesk request for comment.
In its statement, GSR said the deal is part of a broader partnership to bridge traditional finance and digital assets, and to expand access to tokenization.
“Institutional digital asset markets are maturing rapidly, and the firms best positioned to lead will be those that combine deep capital markets expertise with trusted banking infrastructure,” said Xin Son, CEO at GSR.
SC Ventures and GSR plan to develop scalable market infrastructure in light of increasing institutional demand for regulated crypto services.
“The next phase of the digital asset evolution will be defined by the strength of infrastructure,” said Alex Manson, CEO at SC Ventures.
