Standard Chartered today announced its support for SOLOWIN HOLDINGS (NASDAQ:AXG) (AXG) in the first-ever institutional custody of crypto assets in Hong Kong offered by a Global Systemically Important Bank (G-SIB).

This achievement follows the steady progress Standard Chartered and AXG have made in aligning operational, custody and governance standards with regulatory expectations, enabling this market-first delivery.

Standard Chartered plays a pivotal role in the custody framework, leveraging its established infrastructure, robust risk management capabilities and deep digital asset expertise to provide secure institutional-grade safekeeping of crypto assets.

The solution is tailored to the needs of regulated financial institutions and professional investors, while aligning with the city’s strong foundations of trust, compliance and institutional standards on asset protection, segregation and operational resilience.

Mary Huen, CEO, Hong Kong and Greater China & North Asia, Standard Chartered, said:

“This milestone reflects the progress Hong Kong is making in building a robust and well-regulated digital asset environment, and underscores the importance of collaboration between banks, clients, regulators and the wider ecosystem in bringing institutional use cases to life. Through our close partnership with AXG and ongoing engagement with regulators, we are demonstrating how the ecosystem can work together to responsibly scale digital asset adoption at pace. Together, we are proud to deliver this market-first initiative and support Hong Kong’s ambition to be a leading global digital finance hub.”

Dr. Thomas Zhu, Co-founder and CEO of AXG, said:

“Partnering with Standard Chartered has been instrumental in bringing this landmark custody solution to life. Their deep experience in custody, risk management and regulatory engagement has given us the confidence to move forward in a complex and fast-evolving market. This marks an important step not just for AXG, but for the broader digital asset ecosystem in Hong Kong.”

Margaret Harwood-Jones, Global Head of Financing & Securities Services, Standard Chartered, said:

“As digital assets move from experimentation to institutional adoption, trusted custody becomes a critical foundation. This market-first initiative with AXG demonstrates how institutional-grade custody, built to high standards of asset protection, governance and operational resilience, can support the safe participation of regulated institutions in the digital asset market. By working closely with clients, regulators and ecosystem partners, we are building scalable infrastructure that supports the long-term and responsible growth of digital assets in leading financial centres such as Hong Kong.”