Standard Chartered signs deal to acquire Zodia Custody

Standard Chartered has signed definitive agreements to acquire 100% of Zodia Custody, the digital asset custodian it helped create through its venture arm, SC Ventures. The signing, confirmed on October 21, 2026, comes months after Zodia’s shareholders accepted the bank’s non-binding offer. Regulators still need to approve the deal, and standard closing conditions apply. No financial terms have been disclosed. How the deal is structured The acquisition splits Zodia into two parts, each with a separate destination. Zodia Custody’s regulated custody operations will be folded into Standard Chartered’s Financing and Securities Services division. That is the part of the bank that already handles safekeeping and servicing of traditional securities for institutional clients. The software and infrastructure side will become a new entity called Zodia Solutions. It is expected to keep operating independently and offer its services to a broader range of financial institutions. The process began with a non-binding offer from Standard Chartered, which Zodia’s shareholders accepted on May 18, 2026. Roughly five months passed between that handshake and the signed agreements. From joint venture to...