SC Ventures, the investment arm of Standard Chartered Bank, has made a strategic investment in One Trading, a Bitpanda spinoff. This investment will help One Trading launch the first perpetual futures trading platform in the European Union.
In July, One Trading became the first European cryptocurrency exchange to obtain an Organized Trading Facility (OTF) license from the Dutch Financial Markets Authority, allowing it to offer financial products regulated under the Markets in Financial Instruments Directive 2018 (MiFID II) instead of the Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation (MiCA). Crypto assets classified as financial instruments fall under MiFID II regulation.
Exploring new market potential, One Trading is now the only platform offering perpetual futures trading in the EU and the first cash-settled perpetuals platform in Europe, including the UK. It’s also the first regulated European derivatives exchange open to retail clients.
MiFID II enhanced transparency and consumer protection in European financial markets. Alex Manson, CEO of SC Ventures, stated: “Financial innovation should not come at the cost of consumer protection — that’s why we are glad to see One Trading receiving the OTF License. We congratulate the team on becoming the first MiFID II trading venue for crypto perpetual futures in the EU.”
No launch date for the crypto perpetual futures has been announced, and the investment terms were not disclosed. Other participants in the funding round included MiddleGame Ventures, Valar, and SpeedInvest. MiddleGame Ventures is a returning investor, and Valar has supported Bitpanda in several rounds. One Trading, previously known as Bitpanda Pro, spun off in 2023.
While Standard Chartered and SC Ventures have been primarily active in cryptocurrency businesses across Asia and the Middle East, this investment signals a slow yet deliberate approach to Europe. In recent years, SC Ventures partnered with Northern Trust to launch Zodia, a UK-registered crypto custody platform, and teamed up with Chinese fintech Linklogis to establish the Olea digital infrastructure platform.
In 2023, SC Ventures formed a joint venture in the UAE with Japanese conglomerate SBI Holding. Additionally, Mox Bank, a Standard Chartered subsidiary in Hong Kong, launched crypto exchange-traded fund trading this year. The bank also collaborated with Singapore-based Crypto.com to provide fiat currency services and partnered with Brevan Howard to offer crypto custody services in the UAE.
