Charles Schwab has added Bitcoin, Ether trading to its $13 trillion platform

Charles Schwab has begun offering direct Bitcoin and Ether trading on its retail brokerage platform, marking a significant step in bringing crypto into mainstream wealth-management accounts. The rollout matters because Schwab oversees $13.1 trillion in client assets and 39.8 million brokerage accounts, giving Bitcoin broader distribution and potentially intensifying competition with crypto-native exchanges on fees and convenience. The service launched with a 0.75% transaction fee, initially without deposits or withdrawals, while Schwab also started a crypto transfers pilot and signaled plans to expand into advisor accounts, custody, and possibly stablecoins. The move underscores growing institutional acceptance of digital assets even as market activity remains softer and Bitcoin trades near $63,000. The article also highlights competitive pressure from Morgan Stanley’s E*Trade, which charges a lower 0.5% fee and already supports BTC, ETH, and SOL trading. Overall, the news is mildly bullish for crypto adoption and distribution, especially for Bitcoin and Ether.