Key Highlights
- Charles Schwab said it will soon start letting its clients buy and sell Bitcoin and Ethereum directly on its platform.
- The service will roll out in phases, starting with employee testing, then limited client access, and finally availability for the public.
- Clients will not need a separate crypto wallet or exchange, and all trades will happen within Schwab’s system.
Charles Schwab, a brokerage company, is preparing to launch direct trading of Bitcoin and Ethereum later this quarter in the United States through its platform.
According to the firm’s website, the service is expected to roll out in phases through its brokerage system to make crypto trading easier for users. This means users will not need a separate crypto wallet or a third-party exchange to access digital assets.
The firm said it will integrate the service into its current system so investors can manage both traditional and digital assets in one place.
Schwab outlines phased rollout
Schwab also said that the service will run through Charles Schwab Premier Bank, SSB, which is the company’s regulated banking unit. All trades will be handled within Schwab’s own platform, rather than being sent to external crypto platforms.
The rollout will follow a step-by-step process. First, the company will test the system internally with its employees. After that, a limited number of clients will receive early access before the service becomes widely available. This phased approach is meant to ensure the system works properly before full release.
The firm also reported that it has opened a waitlist for clients who want early access to a “Schwab Crypto” account.
Expanding crypto options amid competition
Currently, Charles Schwab offers indirect exposure to crypto through products such as exchange-traded funds, which track the price of assets, and crypto-related stocks.
The firm has also provided futures contracts linked to Bitcoin, but clients could not directly own or trade Bitcoin or Ethereum on the platform. The new service will change that by allowing direct ownership of these digital assets within standard brokerage accounts.
The company manages more than $12 trillion in client assets and serves about 46 million accounts, meaning the rollout could expand access to crypto for a large number of investors.
Moreover, this puts Schwab in the same category as other platforms such as Coinbase, Robinhood, and Webull that already offer crypto trading, while firms like Morgan Stanley are also planning similar services.
The company also said it plans to introduce a stablecoin in the future, which is a type of cryptocurrency designed to keep a steady value, often linked to a currency like the US dollar.
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