Standard Chartered launches tokenized deposit service in Hong Kong

Standard Chartered launches a tokenized deposit service in Hong Kong on November 2, 2026, allowing corporate clients to conduct 24/7 real-time transfers across participating institutions. Operating on proprietary blockchain technology alongside the Hong Kong Monetary Authority's EnsembleTX platform, the service settles transactions using central bank money, including wholesale CBDC. Early adopters China AMC, Finloop, and PantherTrade have executed live transactions, supported by integrations with Fireblocks and HashKey.

Launch and expansion of the deposit service

• ▪Standard Chartered launched a tokenized deposit service for corporate clients, marking the first market to offer its Tokenized Deposits solution
• ▪Standard Chartered developed its tokenized deposit service with support from the Hong Kong Monetary Authority's Distributed Ledger Technology Supervisory Incubator
• ▪Standard Chartered plans to expand its tokenized commercial bank deposit service to institutional clients in additional international markets over time

Capabilities of the 24/7 deposit service

• ▪Standard Chartered's tokenized deposit platform allows eligible corporate clients to transfer bank deposits and manage digital treasury liquidity 24 hours a day, 7 days a week
• ▪Standard Chartered's 24/7 deposit service is designed for corporate treasurers, financial institutions, investment platforms, and digital asset businesses for internal entity transfers and investment transactions

Integration with EnsembleTX and wCBDC settlement

• ▪Hong Kong plans to introduce round-the-clock wholesale central bank digital currency settlement for tokenized deposits by the end of 2026
• ▪Standard Chartered's tokenized deposit service operates on Standard Chartered's proprietary blockchain infrastructure and connects through the Hong Kong Monetary Authority's EnsembleTX platform for interbank transactions
• ▪The Hong Kong Monetary Authority launched the EnsembleTX platform in November 2025 as part of Project Ensemble to support real-value transactions involving tokenized financial assets

Live transactions on the EnsembleTX platform

• ▪China AMC, Finloop, and PantherTrade completed live tokenized deposit transactions and settlements involving tokenized money market funds through the EnsembleTX platform
• ▪Standard Chartered CEO for Hong Kong, Mary Huen, stated that the bank gained practical experience through early real-value transactions conducted under the EnsembleTX platform

Digital asset infrastructure partnerships

• ▪Standard Chartered partnered with Fireblocks to integrate banking capabilities directly into Fireblocks' digital asset infrastructure platform for institutional clients
• ▪Digital asset business HashKey joined Standard Chartered's participating banking ecosystem in Hong Kong to support institution-focused digital asset operations