Standard Chartered's SC Ventures to Launch $250M Digital Asset Fund
SC Ventures, part of Standard Chartered, revealed at Money 20/20 Riyadh plans for a $250 million global digital asset fund by 2026, alongside Africa and venture debt initiatives, underscoring its expanding fintech and crypto strategy.
Multiple provided sources from Phemex consistently and explicitly state that SC Ventures plans to launch a $250M digital asset fund by 2026. The articles mention the announcement was made at the Money 20/20 conference and will have Middle Eastern backing, which is consistent with other evidence showing SC Ventures' activity in the UAE's digital asset sector.
SC Ventures, Standard Chartered’s innovation arm, confirmed it will raise $250 million for a digital asset fund in 2026 with support from Middle Eastern investors. Operating partner Gautam Jain disclosed the plan at Money 20/20 in Riyadh, noting the fund will target blockchain, tokenization, and regulated digital asset opportunities. The unit is also launching a $100 million Africa-focused fund and exploring its first venture debt initiative. SC Ventures opened operations in Saudi Arabia in January 2025 and aims to establish a domestic Saudi fund by 2026. The announcement follows Standard Chartered’s recent advances, including launching regulated spot Bitcoin and Ethereum trading in the UK, tokenization efforts via its Libeara platform, a Hong Kong dollar-backed stablecoin partnership, and securing crypto custody licenses in Luxembourg and Dubai.
- Digital Asset: A digital representation of value that can be digitally traded and functions as a medium of exchange, unit of account, or store of value.
- Tokenization: The process of converting ownership rights to an asset into a digital token on a blockchain.
- Blockchain Technology: A decentralized digital ledger technology used to record transactions across multiple computers in a secure and transparent manner.