Charles Schwab has begun rolling out spot BTC and ETH trading to retail customers via Schwab Crypto, its dedicated crypto platform. An initial cohort of waitlisted clients now has access, with broader expansion planned over coming months.
Charles Schwab has begun rolling out spot BTC and ETH trading to retail customers via Schwab Crypto, its dedicated crypto platform. An initial cohort of waitlisted clients now has access, with broader expansion planned over coming months.
Charles Schwab — the world's largest discount brokerage with $12 trillion in client assets and roughly 35 million accounts — has officially launched spot Bitcoin and Ethereum trading for retail customers. An initial group of waitlisted clients gained access this week through the Schwab Crypto platform, with a phased rollout to continue over coming months.
The launch follows a successful employee pilot program. Schwab CEO Rick Wurster had previously indicated the firm would enter spot crypto trading in the first half of 2026, and the company is hitting that timeline.
Prior to this rollout, Schwab clients could only access crypto exposure through ETFs, crypto-related equities, and exchange-traded products — not the actual assets.
Schwab first announced Schwab Crypto on April 16, 2026, for employee pilot. The retail rollout marks the transition from pilot to production — making Schwab the largest traditional U.S. brokerage to offer direct spot crypto trading. This puts Schwab in direct competition with Coinbase, Robinhood, and Fidelity's crypto offerings.
CEO Rick Wurster has also signaled future expansion into stablecoins and prediction markets.
When the largest brokerage in America gives 35 million people one-click access to Bitcoin and Ethereum, the friction argument for crypto adoption weakens significantly. Schwab clients can now buy BTC alongside stocks and bonds in a familiar interface — no separate exchange account needed. This is the infrastructure layer going mainstream, not a hype cycle.
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