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Standard Chartered Bank has initiated coverage of the decentralized trading protocol Uniswap, predicting that its UNI token could rise from the current approximately $2.7 to $100 by the end of 2030, representing an increase of nearly 40 times. Geoffrey Kendrick, the global head of digital asset research at Standard Chartered, stated that the next wave of wealth opportunities in the digital asset space may come from DeFi protocols. The core logic is that the scale of tokenized assets entering DeFi will significantly increase, thereby enhancing the trading asset base and fee potential of protocols like Uniswap.Standard Chartered expects that the scale of on-chain tokenized assets will grow from the current approximately $340 billion to $4 trillion by the end of 2028; of which the proportion entering DeFi will rise from the current approximately 3.5% to 30% by the end of 2030. Coupled with the growth of crypto-native assets, the locked assets in DeFi could reach approximately $2.7 trillion, an increase of about 37 times from the current level. Kendrick believes that if Uniswap can successfully commercialize and establish sufficiently scaled partnerships with traditional financial institutions, the valuation multiple between its market capitalization and trading fees is expected to increase, narrowing the gap with centralized trading platforms like Coinbase.Standard Chartered's projected price path for UNI is: $6.5 by the end of 2026, $20 by the end of 2027, $40 by the end of 2028, $65 by the end of 2029, and $100 by the end of 2030, and it is expected that UNI's performance during this period may outperform ETH and BTC.

According to Caixin, Standard Chartered's Head of Financial and Strategic Clients for Hong Kong, Greater China, and North Asia, Zeng Jizhi, stated that Standard Chartered is studying the feasibility of establishing its own gold storage in Hong Kong and is considering different site options.If the plan materializes, Hong Kong is expected to become the first market where Standard Chartered Group establishes its own gold storage, and it would be one of the few banks to have its own storage in Hong Kong. Currently, Standard Chartered has already provided physical gold trading and related options financing services to Commercial and Investment Banking (CIB) clients. If the self-established gold storage is established, it could extend services to comprehensive gold trading services, including executing transactions, settlement, and storage.

According to Cointelegraph, Standard Chartered Bank predicts in its latest research report that by 2030, the locked assets in decentralized finance (DeFi) will reach approximately $2.7 trillion, growing about 37 times from current levels. The report points out that this growth will be primarily driven by the tokenization of real-world assets (RWA) and the migration of crypto-native assets to on-chain protocols.Geoff Kendrick, Head of Digital Asset Research at Standard Chartered, stated that the next round of "structural growth opportunities" in digital assets will come from DeFi protocols, and it is expected that by 2030, the proportion of tokenized assets entering the DeFi system will increase from the current approximately 3.5% to about 30%.Current data shows that only about 3% of stablecoins and 10% of tokenized real assets are actually used in DeFi protocols, indicating significant room for penetration. The report also emphasizes that achieving the $2.7 trillion target will rely on the rapid expansion of tokenized asset scale and a significant improvement in on-chain capital efficiency. Previously, Standard Chartered predicted that by 2028, the scale of tokenized non-stablecoin real assets would reach $2 trillion, with money market funds and U.S. stocks becoming major components.At the infrastructure level, the report mentions that decentralized trading protocols like Uniswap could become important trading hubs for tokenized assets and notes that traditional financial institutions will focus more on security and stability when entering the on-chain market. However, analysts also warn that tokenization does not necessarily lead to increased liquidity, and fragmentation between different chains and asset standards may still limit market depth and unified pricing capability.

According to BBX data, last week institutional research qualitatively shifted historically, with Bitcoin reserve companies accelerating deleveraging. The core dynamics are as follows:Geoffrey Kendrick, Global Head of Digital Asset Research at Standard Chartered PLC (LSE: $STAN), released a research report on June 12, officially declaring that "the crypto winter is likely over." He believes that the $59,000 level for Bitcoin has formed the low point of this bear market cycle, marking a significant turning point in market sentiment. Kendrick stated that a large amount of IPO allocation funds will flow back into risk assets after the SpaceX IPO, and the funding flow for Bitcoin spot ETFs is expected to achieve a structural reversal after this adjustment, combined with the continuous expansion of corporate reserve demand, supporting his view with three factors. This is the strongest "bear end" qualitative statement from institutional research so far in 2026— the last similar clear statement came from the same team at Standard Chartered in December 2023, after which Bitcoin confirmed a breakthrough of historical highs in 2024.Nakamoto Inc. (NASDAQ: $NAKA) (Nashville, a Bitcoin operating company, also operating Bitcoin Magazine) disclosed a series of balance sheet optimization measures through an official press release on BusinessWire on June 11: selling approximately 600 BTC and Bitcoin-related derivatives, netting about $48 million, to repay a $45 million loan to Kraken (Payward Interactive); the remaining loan balance is $165 million USDT (down from the original $210 million), restructured under new terms: $60 million USDT maturing on December 4, 2026, and $105 million USDT extended to June 30, 2027; the new interest rate is reduced to 7.75% (previously 8%), requiring the maintenance of 2,000 BTC as collateral in a Bitwise Asset Management custodial account, saving approximately $4 million in annual financing costs; the board also approved a $25 million stock repurchase plan (as of December 31, 2026). After the transaction, the company holds approximately 4,467 BTC (approximately $284 million, estimated at recent prices); the company previously completed a 1-for-40 reverse stock split at the end of May and received confirmation from Nasdaq on June 9 that it has restored compliance with the minimum $1 share price requirement; after the news was announced, $NAKA briefly rose about 20% during trading.

According to CoinDesk, Standard Chartered Bank analyst Geoffrey Kendrick stated in a report on Friday that the cryptocurrency market has reached the final bottom of this monetary cycle. The cycle low for Bitcoin is currently set at $59,000, down 53% from the historical high of $126,000 reached on October 6. Kendrick expects that by the end of this year, the price of Ethereum will reach $4,000, and the price of Bitcoin will reach $100,000.He pointed out that there are two core factors supporting this market rebound. First, in recent weeks, Bitcoin spot ETFs have faced the most severe sell-off since their inception. Since the second week of May, total redemptions have exceeded $5.72 billion. He also noted that it is rumored that ETF holders have been liquidating their positions to free up funds to participate in SpaceX's initial public offering (IPO). Kendrick stated that SpaceX's IPO this Friday could end the current selling pressure.Second, if the G7-related peace agreement reached between the U.S. and Iran is true, it would help prevent oil prices from skyrocketing. A decline in oil prices would suppress the rising U.S. Treasury yields, thereby alleviating the macro pressure on the cryptocurrency market. To confirm that the market bottom is solid, Kendrick will closely monitor in the coming days: the news on Monday about Strategy (MSTR) increasing its Bitcoin holdings this week; whether the U.S. spot Bitcoin ETF can restore net inflows this Friday.

According to The Block, Geoffrey Kendrick, the head of digital asset research at Standard Chartered Bank, stated that "the bottom has almost appeared" for Bitcoin after a recent sharp decline, with the current range of about $63,000 being a "buying range." He pointed out that since February, the overall holdings of the U.S. spot Bitcoin ETF have remained stable, with no concentrated redemptions that would raise concerns, indicating that funds are more "structurally stable."Kendrick expects that after the recent selling pressure triggered by Strategy's sale of 32 BTC, there may be a buyback at a scale of 10 times or even 100 times, following historical practices, which could signal the confirmation of a temporary low. He also cautioned that there is still a downside risk of Bitcoin falling below $60,000, but believes that buying in batches is preferable to trying to time the bottom precisely. The bank maintains its year-end targets of $100,000 for Bitcoin and $4,000 for Ethereum.

According to The Block, Standard Chartered Bank's Head of Digital Asset Research Geoffrey Kendrick stated that Strategy's decision to reduce its holdings by 32 bitcoins last week may mark the beginning of a new phase of "outperformance" for Ethereum relative to Bitcoin. Kendrick pointed out that although the scale of the reduction is "very small," against the backdrop of Bitcoin's decline on that day, ETH/BTC experienced a significant upward movement rarely seen in recent years. He expects ETH/BTC to rise to about 0.04 by the end of this year, currently around 0.028. Kendrick maintains his price targets of $4,000 for ETH by the end of the year and $40,000 by 2030, and stated that the Ethereum treasury can "sell coins with zero necessity" through approximately 3% staking yields, making it easier to achieve a higher net asset multiple (mNAV) and financing capability compared to the Bitcoin treasury.

According to Decrypt, analysts at Standard Chartered Bank pointed out in a report on Thursday that the current price of Ethereum does not reflect the growth in its on-chain transaction volume, nor does it reflect the value of digital assets deposited in DeFi applications. The price of Ethereum has "significant room" to catch up with its internal metrics, as its native network is expected to benefit from Wall Street's steady migration to digital assets.Ethereum has dominated the stablecoin and tokenization markets, which are set to experience rapid growth. Analysts reiterated a year-end target price of $4,000 for Ethereum, predicting it could reach $40,000 by 2030. This would bring the price ratio of Ethereum to Bitcoin back up to 0.08. Standard Chartered stated that year-to-date, stablecoins have accounted for 33% of Ethereum transactions.The "Economic Zone" supported by the Ethereum Foundation will launch this summer, further enhancing on-chain activity. As real-world assets go on-chain, if RWAs grow as expected by 50 times, the importance of Ethereum will increase dramatically, with transaction volume and total locked value continuously setting new historical highs.

According to The Block, Standard Chartered Bank believes that the recent sharp decline in ETH prices does not reflect the continuous improvement of internal indicators on the Ethereum network, comparing it to Amazon's phase after the tech bubble burst in 2001. The bank maintains its ETH price targets: $4,000 by the end of 2026 and $40,000 by the end of 2030, and expects the ETH/BTC exchange rate to rebound to about 0.08 by the end of this decade.The bank stated that Ethereum dominates the stablecoin and RWA (real-world asset tokenization) sectors, expecting the market value of both stablecoins and non-stablecoin RWAs to increase to about $2 trillion by 2028, which will drive Ethereum's trading volume and TVL to new highs, pushing ETH prices upward.

According to CoinDesk, United Texas Bank (UTB) has received approval from the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) to convert from a state-chartered bank to a national-chartered bank, becoming one of the first banks to complete the OCC conversion since the Dodd-Frank Act was passed 15 years ago. The bank's CEO Scott Beck stated that this move gives it the same federal license and direct access to the Federal Reserve payment system as large banks like Bank of America and JPMorgan Chase.The bank currently clears about $10 billion monthly for global crypto enterprises and has launched the AI-driven real-time payment network UTB Atomic and the compliance platform UTB Prism Sentinel to restore 24/7 crypto liquidity. The bank also plans to launch a digital asset custody and trust services division this summer.

United Texas Bank, headquartered in Dallas, has transitioned from a Texas-chartered bank to a nationally chartered bank approved by the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, positioning itself as an institution connecting global cryptocurrency companies with the U.S. banking system. United Texas Bank states that it currently has the same federal licensing and direct access to the Federal Reserve as major currency center banks, and it has been clearing approximately $10 billion in dollar transactions monthly for global cryptocurrency companies.The bank is launching a 24/7 AI-driven payment network, UTB Atomic, in conjunction with its compliance platform, UTB Prism Sentinel, to restore around-the-clock cryptocurrency liquidity and meet emerging federal regulations related to digital assets and stablecoins.

Coinbase announced a partnership with Standard Chartered Bank to expand global multi-currency funding channels through Coinbase Prime, supporting Australian dollars, Singapore dollars, Canadian dollars, Swiss francs, euros, and British pounds.Coinbase stated that this move will enhance capital efficiency, reduce foreign exchange friction, and enable institutional clients to seamlessly conduct global market operations on the same platform through Coinbase Prime.

According to Decrypt, the Digital Chamber has written to OCC Director Jonathan Gould, urging him to stick to the decision to grant national trust bank charters to crypto companies like Coinbase, Ripple, and Circle.Previously, Senator Elizabeth Warren accused the approval of these charters of violating the National Bank Act and posing a threat to the safety of the U.S. banking system. The Digital Chamber countered that Congress has effectively authorized the OCC to extend bank charters to stablecoin businesses through the GENIUS Act, and that the approved companies do not accept FDIC-insured deposits, thus not constituting traditional banking operations.

On May 18, U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren wrote to the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) stating that the agency has improperly granted national trust charters to at least nine cryptocurrency companies since December 2025. Elizabeth Warren pointed out that the businesses these companies plan to engage in exceed the limited functions allowed by law for national trust banks, essentially attempting to circumvent the fundamental protections and obligations of banking through crypto banking. It is reported that the companies that have received or conditionally approved include Ripple, Circle, Paxos, Fidelity, BitGo, Coinbase, Stripe's subsidiary Bridge, and Crypto.com. The American Bankers Association urged the OCC in February to slow down the approval of related licenses, and Elizabeth Warren warned that this move would weaken consumer protections and pose regulatory arbitrage risks.

According to Cryptonomist, Standard Chartered announced a large-scale restructuring plan on Tuesday, aiming to cut more than 7,000 jobs by 2030, which accounts for 15% of the total workforce in the company's functional departments.Standard Chartered CEO Bill Winters described the layoffs as a technology-driven long-term transformation, focusing on replacing low-value-added jobs with automation and artificial intelligence, rather than merely reducing costs. The report states that the plan primarily affects back-office support departments in locations such as Chennai and Bangalore in India, Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia, and Poland.

According to The Block, Geoffrey Kendrick, the global head of digital asset research at Standard Chartered Bank, stated that the total scale of on-chain tokenized assets is expected to reach $4 trillion by the end of 2028, with stablecoins and real-world assets (RWA) each accounting for $2 trillion. Standard Chartered believes that DeFi protocols with mature risk control systems and scalability will be the main beneficiaries of this trend, while the advancement of the U.S. Clarity Act may become an important catalyst for accelerating the on-chain transition of traditional finance.Kendrick pointed out that the core advantage of DeFi lies in "composability." In an on-chain environment, the same asset can simultaneously earn yields, serve as collateral, and maintain liquidity, which the traditional financial system cannot achieve with similar efficiency. He stated that this structural advantage means "1+1=3." Standard Chartered cited BlackRock's tokenized U.S. Treasury fund BUIDL as an example, noting that the product not only yields about 4% from U.S. Treasuries but can also be converted into sBUIDL for use in lending protocol collateral and serves as a reserve asset for products like Ethena USDtb and Ondo OUSG.The report also noted that the current scale of off-chain assets is still about 1,000 times that of on-chain assets, and the tokenization of institutional-grade assets may become the core source of growth for the next phase of the industry. Regarding institutional adoption, Standard Chartered mentioned that Aave's asset scale once matched that of the 38th largest bank in the U.S., and the current daily trading volume of on-chain stablecoin lending has reached $1.5 billion to $2 billion.At the same time, the Bitcoin lending product developed in collaboration between Coinbase and Morpho currently has a loan scale of about $1.75 billion, covering approximately 22,000 borrowers, indicating that traditional financial institutions are gradually using DeFi as underlying infrastructure.

According to Bloomberg, Standard Chartered Bank will acquire the cryptocurrency custody business of its holding subsidiary Zodia Custody, and its non-binding acquisition offer has been accepted by other shareholders and noteholders of Zodia Custody. Margaret Harwood-Jones, Global Head of Financing and Securities Services at Standard Chartered Bank, stated that this merger will pave the way for Standard Chartered to launch cryptocurrency custody services in new markets such as the UK and Australia.After the acquisition is completed, Zodia Custody's infrastructure business will continue to operate as an independent software-as-a-service company, renamed Zodia Solutions, led by current CEO Julian Sawyer, with Standard Chartered's venture capital division holding a majority stake in Zodia Solutions. Existing shareholders of Zodia Custody include Northern Trust, Emirates NBD, National Australia Bank, and SBI Holdings, and discussions are ongoing regarding whether these parties will continue to hold shares in Zodia Solutions.

According to The Block, SC Ventures, the fintech and investment division of Standard Chartered Bank, has made a strategic investment in the crypto market maker GSR.The company has also been expanding into other tokenized financial services recently. This investment makes SC Ventures the first external strategic shareholder of GSR since its establishment in 2013.