Charles Schwab said it will begin a phased rollout of spot trading in Bitcoin and Ether for retail clients in the coming weeks, marking a further shift toward direct access to cryptocurrencies as major brokerages expand their digital asset offerings.
The new service, called Schwab Crypto, will initially support trading in Bitcoin and Ethereum, the two largest crypto assets by market capitalization, and allow customers to manage their crypto assets alongside stocks and other investments across Schwab.com, Schwab Mobile, and thinkorswim.
Schwab said the product is designed around what crypto investors want most from a trading platform: low and transparent pricing, a trusted brand, and confidence that their assets will be held securely. The company has set the price at 75 basis points based on the dollar value of each transaction, and said customers will also have access to educational resources, research and 24/7 support.
Jonathan Craig, head of personal investing at Charles Schwab, said the firm is responding to growing demand from customers who want to keep more of their financial activities within the Schwab ecosystem. Joe Vietri, head of digital assets at the company, said the goal is to make Schwab a destination for retail investors looking to add cryptocurrencies to a broader portfolio with more confidence.
Under the structure outlined by the company, customers will hold a separate crypto account through Schwab Crypto that is directly linked to their brokerage account. Charles Schwab Premier Bank will act as the custodian of its customers’ digital assets, and Paxos will provide sub-custody and trade execution services.
This development builds on Schwab’s existing digital assets business. The company said its customers already own approximately 20% of spot crypto exchange-traded products and already offer access to crypto-related exchange-traded products, futures, options on spot crypto exchange-traded products, and funds tied to the broader digital asset market.
Schwab said it plans to expand the offer over time by adding more crypto assets and enabling deposit and withdrawal transfers, allowing customers to move their existing digital asset holdings onto the platform.
The move comes as Schwab continues to see strong retail growth, reporting 1.3 million new brokerage accounts and $140 billion in core net new assets in the first quarter of 2026. The company also reported a 16% year-over-year increase in sales to a record $6.5 billion, and net income of $2.5 billion. Average daily transaction volume reached 9.9 million, an increase of 34% year-on-year, a record high.
