Brokerage services giant Charles Schwab plans to roll out cryptocurrency spot trading in the first half of 2026, taking it deeper into digital assets.
“We remain on track to launch our crypto spot offering in the first half of 2026, starting with bitcoin and ether (ETH),” a company spokesperson told CoinDesk on Friday.
The firm has opened a waiting list for clients seeking early access to what it calls a “Schwab Crypto” account, which will allow users to buy and sell the two largest cryptocurrencies. The firm will offer the service through Charles Schwab Premier Bank, SSB.
The move follows comments from CEO Rick Wurster, who said last July that Schwab aimed to introduce cryptocurrency trading “soon” in response to customer demand. He framed the effort as a way to bring digital assets into the same account view as stocks and bonds in a push toward a more unified investment platform.
Schwab’s scale could give it an advantage as it enters a market long dominated by crypto-native exchanges. The company reported $11.9 trillion in client assets in 2025, offering an integrated base of retail and institutional investors who may prefer to trade cryptocurrencies within a familiar brokerage environment rather than using standalone platforms.
The company already allows clients to invest in cryptocurrency-linked ETFs and trade bitcoin futures on its platform. It also launched the Schwab Crypto Thematic Index (STCE), an ETF that tracks the performance of companies linked to the digital asset sector.
