Charles Schwab said it will begin a phased rollout of spot Bitcoin and Ether trading for retail clients in the coming weeks, marking a deeper move into direct crypto access as major brokerages expand digital asset offerings.
The new service, called Schwab Crypto, will initially support trading in Bitcoin and Ethereum, the two largest crypto assets by market cap, while giving clients the ability to manage crypto alongside stocks and other investments across Schwab.com, Schwab Mobile, and thinkorswim.
Schwab said the product is designed around what crypto investors say they want most from a trading platform, including low and transparent pricing, a trusted brand, and confidence that assets will be held securely. The company set pricing at 75 basis points on the dollar value of each trade and said clients will also get access to educational resources, research, and 24 by 7 support.
Jonathan Craig, head of retail investing at Charles Schwab, said the firm is responding to growing demand from clients who want to keep more of their financial activity within Schwab’s 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 crypto to broader portfolios with more confidence.
Under the structure outlined by the firm, clients will hold a separate crypto account through Schwab Crypto that is linked directly to their brokerage account. Charles Schwab Premier Bank will act as custodian for client digital assets, while Paxos will provide sub custody and trade execution services.
The rollout builds on Schwab’s existing digital asset business. The company said its clients already hold about 20% of spot crypto exchange traded products, and it already offers 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, which would allow clients to move existing digital asset holdings onto the platform.
The move comes as Schwab continues to post 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 posted net income of $2.5 billion as revenue rose 16% year over year to a record $6.5 billion. Daily average trading volume reached a record 9.9 million, up 34% from a year earlier.
