Banking Giants Sign Digital Asset MOU on March 13
Hana Financial Group and Standard Chartered formalized a strategic partnership with a memorandum of understanding (MOU) signed on March 13, 2026, at Hana Bank's headquarters in Seoul. The agreement brings together Hana Financial Group Chairman Ham Young-joo and Standard Chartered Group CEO Bill Winters to spearhead a collaboration across global finance and digital assets. This initiative aims to leverage both institutions' extensive overseas networks to strengthen their competitiveness in investment banking, capital markets, and foreign exchange services.
Partnership Targets Global Markets and Institutional Stablecoins
The alliance is designed to create new growth opportunities by generating synergy in future financial sectors, particularly digital assets. Both firms plan to explore the development of bank-issued stablecoins and other regulated digital financial products. Standard Chartered, which has been expanding its digital asset custody operations in the Middle East and Europe, views this partnership as a critical step in its global strategy.
The partnership between Hana Financial Group and Standard Chartered, which combines our extensive global networks and financial expertise, will deliver strong competitiveness in the global financial sector.
— Ham Young-joo, Chairman of Hana Financial Group
Deal Positions Korea as Key Asian Digital Finance Hub
The collaboration signals a significant move by major traditional financial institutions to build a regulated digital asset ecosystem in Asia. Standard Chartered CEO Bill Winters identified Korea as a "key hub" in the continent's financial market, suggesting the partnership will serve as a milestone for expanding the bank's global network business. For investors, this move represents a deepening institutional push into digital finance, potentially increasing liquidity and stability for regulated digital assets within the Asian market.
