Bitcoin and Ethereum will soon be available for spot purchase at Charles Schwab.
Charles Schwab, a major U.S. finance player, nears a key milestone. Clients can buy Bitcoin and Ethereum straight on its platform by mid-2026. The news lands amid crypto market ups and downs.
A banker stares in shock as Bitcoin and Ethereum pour from a safe. It marks traditional finance's big crypto push.
Quick facts:
Charles Schwab rolls out spot trading for Bitcoin and Ethereum by end of first half 2026.
It starts small, then grows to all U.S. clients.
New York and Louisiana sit out for now.
The firm eyes stablecoins too and plans to add them.
Charles Schwab holds over $12.2 trillion in assets. As a top U.S. broker, it will let clients buy Bitcoin and Ethereum direct. A spokesperson told Decrypt the launch comes before mid-2026. Plans move fast.
CEO Rick Wurster shared details in a March Barron's talk. Trading begins limited in Q2, then opens wide. Clients can sign up on the site now for early spots.
Eyes caught a new "Schwab Crypto" page under Investment Products. The hint is clear.
Schwab offered crypto access before through ETFs or stocks like Coinbase (COIN) and MicroStrategy (MSTR). Now it steps up with direct buys of digital coins.
The service skips some at first. It targets U.S. residents outside New York and Louisiana. Those states hold tighter crypto rules.
Smart timing in a shaky market.
Crypto faces rough seas. Bitcoin just ended its worst quarter, down nearly 22% since January.
It traded near $66,864 Friday, off 47% from its high of $126,080. Ethereum sat around $2,052, down 59% from peak.
Trade fights, tariffs, and Fed rate hikes hit risky bets hard. Macro woes pile on. Still, Schwab picks now to charge ahead.
No surprise there. The firm waited years for clear rules. Trump's White House shifts SEC views friendlier to crypto. Big banks seize the chance.
Schwab pushes more. Wurster said on an earnings call, "Stablecoins will aid blockchain deals. We plan to offer them."
Schwab's move boosts crypto's place in U.S. finance. Its $12.2 trillion in assets links old money to crypto world. SCHW stock climbed almost 19% in the last year. It beat Bitcoin's run.