Paxos will be responsible for the execution of operations and part of the custody of the service.
Charles Schwab currently manages $11.77 trillion in client assets.
Charles Schwab, one of the largest stock brokerage and financial services firms in the United States, began enabling early access to Schwab Crypto, its platform for buying and selling bitcoin (BTC) and ether (ETH).
The company reported on May 12, 2026 that a first wave of eligible customers can now access the service. However, the official site still shows the message “Schwab Crypto will be available soon” and invites you to register to receive updates and request early access.
The launch marks a major expansion for Charles Schwab, which until now only offered indirect exposure to digital assets through exchange-traded funds (ETFs) and derivatives.
The company did not detail the specific criteria to access this first stage, although he clarified that not all clients will be able to operate digital assets initially.
Operations with bitcoin and ETH will have a commission of 0.75% per transaction. For the custody of the assets, Charles Schwab partnered with Paxos, a company specialized in infrastructure for digital assets. The funds will remain in separate accounts from the broker’s traditional accounts.
Paxos will be responsible for the execution of operations and sub-custody, while Charles Schwab Premier Bank will act as primary custodian. The service will be available in almost all of the United States, except New York and Louisiana.
Charles Schwab currently manages some $11.77 trillion in client assets and has 39.1 million active brokerage accounts.
The firm has been working since mid-2025 on the incorporation of services linked to digital assets within its financial ecosystem.
The advance marks a change with respect to the vision that the company had years ago about this market. As CriptoNoticias has reported, in 2019, The firm considered these assets as “purely speculative” instruments.. Now, with a more open regulatory environment in the United States, it began to develop direct buying and selling and custody services for BTC and ETH.
Charles Schwab joins a growing trend of companies in the traditional financial sector that incorporate digital asset trading among their services. Last week, this information portal showed that the American bank Morgan Stanley added BTC and ETH to its E*Trade digital platform.