Charles Schwab starts trading Bitcoin: Why broker is entering crypto market

Traders Union
All News
Editors' Picks
Charles Schwab starts trading Bitcoin

How Schwab Crypto works

Charles Schwab has started the phased rollout of Schwab Crypto for retail clients. The service allows users to trade cryptocurrencies directly, with bitcoin and Ethereum available at launch. Previously, the broker’s clients could access the crypto market only through indirect instruments such as ETFs, futures, trusts or shares of companies connected to the digital asset industry.

Loading...

The tweet was deleted by the author.

But we saved everything 🙂.

The new service is built into Schwab’s existing ecosystem. Clients will be able to trade cryptocurrencies through Schwab.com, the Schwab Mobile app and the thinkorswim platform — the same places where they already trade stocks, ETFs and other investment products. For users, this lowers the barrier to entry: they do not need to open a separate account on a crypto exchange, transfer funds there or deal with new infrastructure.

At the same time, Schwab Crypto is not launching for everyone at once. The company has opened access to the first group of eligible retail clients and will expand it in phases. The account for cryptocurrency trading will be separate, and the fee will be 0.75% per trade.

A long road into the crypto industry

To understand the importance of the current move, it is worth looking at the scale of Charles Schwab. This is not a crypto exchange or a fintech startup, but one of the largest brokers in the United States and a major Wall Street player. As of the end of March 2026, the company served 39.1 million active brokerage accounts, while client assets reached $11.77 trillion. That is why its move into direct cryptocurrency trading carries a very different weight than the launch of a similar product by a smaller platform.

At the same time, Schwab did not arrive at this decision suddenly. The company had been moving toward the crypto market for several years, cautiously and through formats that are familiar to traditional finance. Back in 2021, then-Charles Schwab CEO Walt Bettinger said the broker was watching the crypto market closely but would not rush into direct trading without greater regulatory clarity.

Loading...

The tweet was deleted by the author.

But we saved everything 🙂.

One notable step in this direction was Schwab’s participation in the launch of EDX Markets in 2023 alongside Citadel Securities and Fidelity. The platform aimed to bring traditional financial sector standards to the digital asset market and operated not as a classic crypto exchange, but as an infrastructure solution for trading through intermediaries.

Today, Schwab is no longer limiting itself to the role of observer or participant in infrastructure projects. The company is beginning to give clients access to the cryptocurrency itself — but it is doing so in the familiar Wall Street logic: through a separate account, regulated infrastructure, clear fees and built-in support tools.

Wall Street’s new view

Charles Schwab’s entry into the crypto market shows that digital assets are becoming more deeply embedded in the infrastructure of traditional finance. While the crypto market used to develop mainly around specialized exchanges and separate fintech platforms, access to bitcoin is now gradually appearing inside familiar brokerage services.

At the same time, Schwab is not presenting cryptocurrency as a quick bet on growth. The company is trying to fit it into a familiar investment framework: risk, volatility, diversification and an acceptable portfolio allocation. In its research, Schwab directly states that there is no universal “correct” share of cryptocurrency, and that even a small allocation to BTC or ETH can noticeably change an investor’s risk profile.

It is also important that Schwab is not entering the market alone. In recent years, some of Wall Street’s biggest players have already moved into the industry. For example, BlackRock became one of the main symbols of the institutional shift after launching a spot bitcoin ETF, Fidelity has long been developing digital asset infrastructure, and Morgan Stanley has been gradually expanding client access to crypto instruments.

Against this backdrop, the launch of Schwab Crypto looks like part of a broader movement by traditional finance toward digital assets. This is not just a new button for buying BTC in the app of a major broker. It is another sign that cryptocurrencies are no longer a separate niche and are becoming part of the standard financial menu.

This material may contain third-party opinions, none of the data and information on this webpage constitutes investment advice according to our Disclaimer. While we adhere to strict Editorial Integrity, this post may contain references to products from our partners.