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Dubai, UAE, November 12, 2026: MidChains FZE, a digital asset platform licensed by Dubai’s Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority (VARA), has announced a strategic banking partnership with Standard Chartered to strengthen its institutional digital asset services and improve connectivity between traditional banking and digital asset markets.
The partnership will see Standard Chartered provide MidChains with essential banking infrastructure, including fiat settlement services, segregated client money accounts and correspondent banking capabilities. These services will support the platform’s daily operations, facilitate efficient transactions and enhance settlement processes for institutional clients.
MidChains operates under a VARA Broker-Dealer licence, allowing it to serve retail, institutional and qualified investors. The agreement represents another step towards integrating regulated digital asset platforms with established international banking systems in the UAE.
Rola Abu Manneh, Chief Executive Officer, UAE, Middle East and Pakistan at Standard Chartered, highlighted the UAE’s growing position as a global hub for regulated digital assets and financial services.
“The UAE has established itself as one of the world’s leading regulatory environments for digital assets and a global centre for financial activity. That creates a strong setting for regulated digital asset firms and established financial institutions to work together,” she said.
Abu Manneh explained that the partnership would enable Standard Chartered to provide banking services supporting MidChains’ institutional operations, particularly in fiat settlement, segregated client accounts and correspondent banking.
Basil Al Askari, Chief Executive Officer of MidChains, emphasised the importance of reliable banking infrastructure as institutional capital increasingly moves between conventional financial markets and digital asset ecosystems.
“Institutional capital moves continuously between traditional and digital markets, and the infrastructure supporting that activity must keep pace,” Al Askari said.
He added that institutional investors require digital asset services that integrate with the banking systems supporting their broader financial activities. The collaboration with Standard Chartered aims to provide that connectivity and support the movement of capital between traditional and digital markets.
The agreement brings together MidChains’ regulated digital asset infrastructure and Standard Chartered’s international banking capabilities, creating a framework to support institutional transactions and fiat settlement activities.
It also reflects the UAE’s continued efforts to develop a regulated digital asset ecosystem where financial innovation operates alongside established banking infrastructure.
By connecting a VARA-licensed digital asset provider with a global financial institution, the partnership demonstrates how traditional banking services can support the expanding institutional digital asset sector while maintaining established financial processes.
About MidChains
MidChains is a UAE-headquartered digital asset infrastructure provider serving institutional and corporate clients worldwide. Operating as a regulated entity since 2019, the company holds a VARA Broker-Dealer licence authorising it to provide services to retail, institutional and qualified investors.
