Brokerage firm Charles Schwab will launch a spot cryptocurrency trading service in the first half of 2026, Coindesk reported on April 3.

A Charles Schwab spokesperson said the company plans to roll out spot crypto services in the first half, starting with bitcoin (BTC) and ether (ETH).

The service will be offered through Charles Schwab Premier Bank SSB. Customers will be able to buy and sell the two cryptocurrencies by opening a Schwab Crypto account.

Charles Schwab is currently operating a waitlist for customers seeking early access.

Rick Wurster (릭 워스터), Charles Schwab's chief executive, said in July last year that the company planned to introduce crypto trading "soon" to meet customer demand. He said it was part of building an integrated investment platform to manage digital assets alongside stocks and bonds in the same account.

As of 2025, Charles Schwab held $11.9 trillion in client assets. Its ability to naturally absorb retail and institutional investors who want to trade cryptocurrencies in a familiar brokerage environment rather than on a separate platform is expected to be a competitive advantage. Charles Schwab already offers crypto-linked ETFs and bitcoin futures trading services. It also launched an ETF, the Schwab Crypto Thematic Index (STCE), which tracks the performance of digital asset-related companies.