Charles Schwab Begins Rolling Out Spot Crypto Trading to U.S. Retail Clients

Charles Schwab has started rolling out spot cryptocurrency trading for U.S. retail clients, giving an initial group access to bitcoin and ether through its Schwab Crypto platform. The launch extends Schwab's existing crypto offering, which has largely come via ETFs and futures, by bringing direct spot trading onto its core brokerage platform. Schwab oversees about $12 trillion in client assets and serves roughly 35 million clients, a scale that could make crypto trading feel more familiar for mainstream investors. Schwab had previously telegraphed the move. CEO Rick Wurster said in July that crypto trading was expected in the near term, and the firm later pointed to a first-half 2026 timeline. The company has now moved into execution, starting with BTC and ETH, a measured approach that limits early complexity while it gauges demand, operations and client behavior. For many clients, the appeal may be less about new assets and more about trading them in a trusted, existing account rather than opening one at a standalone crypto exchange. That dynamic could reduce onboarding friction and brand-trust concerns, especially for investors already managing stocks, ETFs and futures within the Schwab ecosystem. The rollout also underscores how traditional brokerages are shifting the competitive landscape. By adding spot crypto access inside a regulated, familiar environment, Schwab narrows the gap with crypto-native platforms and positions digital assets to compete for allocation within standard brokerage workflows.