Charles Schwab Begins Offering Bitcoin, Ethereum Trading to US Users

In brief

• Charles Schwab opened up access to Schwab Crypto accounts this week, allowing users to trade Bitcoin and Ethereum.
• The firm previously only offered exposure to crypto via ETFs and crypto-related equities.
• Shares of SCHW are up around 1% on Wednesday.

Global banking giant Charles Schwab said Tuesday that it has opened access to Bitcoin and Ethereum trading for a batch of retail users, allowing them to trade the top crypto assets right alongside their other investments. 

The firm’s Schwab Crypto accounts will allow users to trade spot BTC and ETH, expanding beyond the crypto exposure that was previously only accessible via crypto-related equities, ETFs, and other exchange-traded products (ETPs). 

The firm’s CEO Rick Wurster previously told Barron’s that the firm’s rollout would start with a phased rollout in Q2 ahead of a larger expansion. 

“Following a successful employee pilot, we began rolling out access to Schwab Crypto accounts earlier this week to a cohort of eligible retail clients who signed up on our interest list,” a representative for the firm told Decrypt. “We will continue rolling out access to eligible clients over the coming months.”

While the addition of spot trading has been long anticipated, the firm’s official launch comes a little more than one year after President Donald Trump returned to office and began instituting more crypto-friendly policies.

Previous comments from the firm indicated that its entrance into the world of spot trading would only come with improved regulatory clarity. In the future, though, its embrace of crypto may take different forms. 

Last year, Wurster said the firm would like to gain exposure to the growing stablecoin scene, saying “that's something we do want to be able to offer,” during an earnings call.

In April, he said it's likely that the firm will also gain exposure to another growing sector in the future: prediction markets.