Charles Schwab Opens Waitlist for Spot Bitcoin and Ethereum Trading Across $12.2 Trillion Platform

Charles Schwab opened a waitlist for spot Bitcoin and Ethereum trading through its $12.2 trillion brokerage platform, with launch targeted for H1 2026.

Charles Schwab Opens Waitlist for Spot Bitcoin and Ethereum Trading Across $12.2 Trillion Platform Charles Schwab opened a waitlist for spot Bitcoin and Ethereum trading through its $12.2 trillion brokerage platform, with launch targeted for H1 2026. Aaron Rafferty April 03, 2026 Key Takeaways: Charles Schwab confirmed it remains on track to launch spot Bitcoin and Ethereum trading in H1 2026 through its Premier Bank subsidiary, with a waitlist now open for early access. Schwab manages $12.2 trillion in client assets across 38.9 million active brokerage accounts, making this the largest traditional brokerage to offer direct spot crypto trading. The firm saw a 400% surge in traffic to its crypto pages during recent market activity, with 70% of that traffic coming from non-clients, signaling massive latent demand. Charles Schwab opened a waitlist for spot Bitcoin and Ethereum trading on April 3, confirming the service remains on track for H1 2026. The offering, called Schwab Crypto, will allow clients to buy and sell BTC and ETH inside existing brokerage accounts through Charles Schwab Premier Bank, SSB. No separate exchange. No third-party wallet. Same app where clients trade stocks and bonds. "We remain on track to launch our spot crypto offer in the first half of 2026, starting with Bitcoin and Ethereum," a Schwab spokesperson told Decrypt . CEO Rick Wurster said the limited rollout begins in Q2 after internal employee testing and a small client pilot. The scale of the on-ramp is the story. Schwab manages $12.2 trillion in client assets and operates 38.9 million active brokerage accounts. The firm already holds roughly 20% of U.S. spot crypto ETP assets. It saw a 400% surge in traffic to its crypto pages, with 70% of visitors being non-clients. That's millions of p