Standard Chartered
International banking group headquartered in London and listed in London and Hong Kong, serving corporate, institutional and affluent clients across Asia, Africa and the Middle East. It has operated in the UAE since 1958.
Industry: International banking | Location: London, United Kingdom | Founded: 1969
About Standard Chartered
Standard Chartered is an international banking group headquartered in London that serves corporate, institutional and affluent clients, with a network concentrated in Asia, Africa and the Middle East. Its colleagues work in 55 markets, according to its website. Standard Chartered PLC is listed on the London Stock Exchange under the code STAN and on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange under 02888.
The group traces its origins to the Chartered Bank of India, Australia and China, set up in London in 1853 under a royal charter with the help of James Wilson, and to the Standard Bank of British South Africa, formed in 1862. The two banks merged in 1969. Bill Winters has been Group Chief Executive since June 2015, and Manus Costello is Group Chief Financial Officer.
In the Gulf, the bank opened its first UAE branch in Sharjah in 1958 and now uses Dubai as a regional hub, with a regional headquarters in the Dubai International Financial Centre. Standard Chartered Saadiq, its Islamic banking arm, is based in Dubai. Its UAE website states that it is licensed by the Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority for broker-dealer services. The group lists a wholly owned Riyadh-based subsidiary, Standard Chartered Capital (Saudi Arabia), and its 2025 results also name Bahrain, Oman, Qatar, Iraq, Pakistan and Egypt among its markets.
Alex Manson set up SC Ventures in 2018 as the group's innovation and investment unit. The 2025 results describe almost 30 ventures and more than 30 investments, organised around digital banking, trade and supply chains, and digital assets, and including the digital banks Mox in Hong Kong and Trust in Singapore. SC Ventures took part in the $3.6 million pre-seed round of the Riyadh-based startup Vrtx, reported by TechScoop in October 2026.
The bank launched digital asset custody in the UAE in September 2024. In September 2026 it began deliverable spot bitcoin and ether trading for institutional clients through its DIFC branch.
For 2025 the group reported operating income of $20.9 billion and profit for the year of $5.1 billion, up 26 percent from 2024.
Leadership
- Bill Winters, Group Chief Executive
- Manus Costello, Group Chief Financial Officer
- Benjamin Hung, President, International
- Alex Manson, CEO, SC Ventures
- Mohamed Gad, Chief Executive Officer and Head of Coverage, Standard Chartered Egypt
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