$12t Charles Schwab Opens Spot Bitcoin And Ethereum Trading

Schwab Crypto Goes Live for Retail Clients

Charles Schwab has begun rolling out direct spot trading for $BTC and $ETH to select retail clients through a new offering called Schwab Crypto. The product will be phased out to retail clients over the coming weeks. Clients will be able to view and trade cryptocurrency and traditional investments side-by-side across Schwab(.)com, Schwab Mobile, and thinkorswim, Schwab's trading platform.

The service marks a structural departure from Schwab's prior crypto model, under which clients could access Bitcoin and Ethereum only through ETFs, futures contracts, and Schwab's Crypto Thematic Index ETF. Schwab Crypto will allow clients to hold actual cryptocurrency through Schwab's banking infrastructure, eliminating the need to open a separate account at a crypto-native exchange.

Schwab manages roughly $12 trillion in client assets across nearly 39 million accounts. The firm reported a 400% increase in traffic to its crypto site in 2025, with 70% of that traffic coming from non-clients, pointing to significant pent-up demand from mainstream investors who prefer a familiar brokerage environment.

Regulatory Shift Cleared the Path

The launch follows two key regulatory shifts: the SEC's January 2025 rescission of SAB 121 and the OCC's March 2025 reaffirmation of crypto custody rights for national banks. Together, those changes removed the primary compliance and capital barriers that had kept major brokerages from offering direct crypto ownership.

Pricing is set among the lowest in the industry at 75 basis points on the dollar value of each trade. The service will be available across all US states except New York and Louisiana.

The launch puts Schwab on a collision course with platforms like Robinhood, which built a strong following with younger investors who already trade digital assets alongside stocks. If the unified account model works at scale, it could also pressure crypto-native platforms like Coinbase to defend their edge on features and user experience.

Sources:
Charles Schwab Official Press Release: Schwab Crypto Launch Details
CoinDesk: Schwab Plans Spot Bitcoin and Ether Trading Launch in First Half of 2026
CNBC: Charles Schwab to Launch Direct Bitcoin and Ethereum Trading