Charles Schwab Opens Direct Trading for Bitcoin & Ethereum

Charles Schwab, one of the oldest brokerage firms, has officially entered the world of crypto trading. It will allow customers to buy and sell Bitcoin (BTC) and Ethereum (ETH) on its platform. It marks another major change as traditional financial institutions increase control over digital assets.

Charles Schwab Gears Up To Compete With Robinhood

The launch pits Schwab against Robinhood, an investment platform that has gained popularity among younger investors with its combination of stock and crypto products. The trading for Bitcoin and Ethereum will begin under their new arm, “Schwab Crypto.”

Previously, Rick Wurster, the CEO had already given a clue. At that time, he noted that a good number of clients were already splitting their portfolios between Charles Schwab and crypto-native platforms.

Thus, they initiated the latest move of opening direct trading for BTC and ETH. Moreover, the brokerage firm offers Bitcoin ETFs to its clients to increase crypto exposure.

“What we hear from many of our clients is that they have 98% of their wealth here at Schwab and they might hold a percent or 2% at some digital native firm to hold their crypto, and they really want to bring it back to Schwab because they trust us [and] they want it to sit alongside their other assets,” Wurster said in July 2025, per Reuters report.

The brokerage will charge a 0.75% fee per crypto transaction. That puts it at the midway point of prices in the industry. For context, Fidelity Investments charges approximately 1% of trades. On the other hand, Coinbase’s hefty fee could reach as high as 4%. Meanwhile, Robinhood charges a fee as nominal as 0.3%.

Institutional Activity Grows In Crypto Market

Charles Schwab’s entry also comes at the time of a wider wave of institutional activity. Recently, Morgan Stanley launched its spot Bitcoin ETF product. In addition, Goldman Sachs has submitted an application to launch an Bitcoin Income Premium ETF.

Meanwhile, crypto-native platforms are heading the other way. Coinbase already started to provide commission-free stock trading. Kraken is using the same playbook, and it is not limited to digital assets, but to equities.