The American financial giant Charles Schwab is preparing to reach a historic milestone. By the end of the first half of 2026, its customers will be able to purchase Bitcoin and Ethereum directly on the platform. An announcement that comes at a time when the crypto market is going through a period of turbulence.
In brief
- Charles Schwab will launch spot trading of Bitcoin and Ethereum before the end of the first half of 2026.
- The deployment will begin on a limited basis, before a gradual expansion to all American customers.
- New York and Louisiana are, for the moment, excluded from the system.
- Schwab has also expressed interest in stablecoins, announcing that it wants to integrate them into its offering.
Charles Schwab set to launch spot trading of Bitcoin and Ethereum
Charles Schwab, one of the most powerful brokers in the United States with more than $12.2 trillion in assets under management, will offer direct purchase of Bitcoin and Ethereum to its American clients. The launch is planned before the end of the first half of 2026, a company spokesperson confirmed to media Decrypt. The machine is running.
CEO Rick Wurster had already lifted the veil last March, during an interview with Barron's. The deployment will begin on a limited basis in the second quarter, before a gradual opening to all customers. Interested parties can already register on the Schwab website to try to obtain early access.
One detail has not escaped observers: a new page entitled “Schwab Crypto” recently appeared in the “Investment Products” section of the official website. The signal is strong.
Until now, Charles Schwab was mainly content to offer indirect exposure to the crypto market via ETFs or stocks linked to the sector, such as Coinbase (COIN) and Strategy (MSTR). This time, the company is taking a step further by preparing to offer direct access to digital assets.
However, the offer will not be open to everyone from the start. The service will be reserved for American residents, with the exception of those in New York and Louisiana, two jurisdictions where the regulatory framework for cryptocurrencies remains more restrictive.
A strategic shift in a market in the midst of a storm
This announcement comes in a particularly turbulent context for cryptos. Bitcoin just closed its worst quarter with a fall of almost 22% since January.
It was trading around $66,864 on Friday, down 47% from its all-time high of $126,080. Ethereum, for its part, is hovering around $2,052, down 59% from its high.
Trade war, customs duties, restrictive monetary policy of the Fed: risky assets have borne the brunt of macroeconomic uncertainties. Yet it is precisely in this context that Schwab is choosing to accelerate.
This is no coincidence. For years, the company justified its wait-and-see attitude by the lack of regulatory clarity. Since the arrival of Donald Trump at the White House, the tide has turned. The SEC is adopting a more accommodating stance towards the crypto industry, and large financial institutions are taking advantage of this window to reposition their offerings.
Schwab goes even further: Wurster has clearly displayed the firm's ambition on stablecoins. “ Stablecoins are likely to play a role in transactions on blockchains, and this is something we want to be able to offer “, he declared during a conference on the results.
In short, Charles Schwab's entry into spot trading marks a new stage in the institutionalization of cryptos in the United States. With over $12.2 trillion in assets under management, the company represents one of the strongest bridges between traditional finance and the crypto ecosystem. Its action (SCHW) has also increased by almost 19% over one year, outperforming the performance of Bitcoin over the same period.
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