Charles Schwab Plans to Launch Bitcoin and Ethereum Spot Trading Services in H1 2026

On April 4, American brokerage giant Charles Schwab announced plans to launch cryptocurrency spot trading services through its banking subsidiary in the first half of 2026, supporting the buying and selling of Bitcoin and Ethereum. The service will be offered through a ‘Schwab Crypto’ account, with a waitlist currently open for customers who must already hold a Schwab brokerage account to apply. CEO Rick Wurster stated that this move aims to respond to customer demand and integrate digital assets with traditional assets like stocks and bonds in a single account view. Notably, this cryptocurrency business will be operated by the banking subsidiary, and the related assets will not be protected by the Securities Investor Protection Corporation (SIPC) nor will they enjoy Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) deposit insurance. Additionally, the service will initially not cover certain U.S. regions, including New York and Louisiana. Currently, Schwab offers cryptocurrency-related products such as Bitcoin ETFs and futures. With the launch of direct spot trading, the market generally believes this initiative will further drive the integration of crypto assets into the mainstream financial system and potentially pressure the fee structures of native crypto trading platforms like Coinbase.