Financial investment giant Charles Schwab has announced plans to offer spot bitcoin trading to its clients within the next 12 months.
This is a big move into the digital asset space by a company with over $10 trillion in assets under management (AUM).
Rick Wurster, who became CEO of Charles Schwab in 2025, confirmed the plans during several recent public appearances including the 2025 Spring Business Update and various media interviews.
Wurster said:
“… We are hopeful and likely to be able to launch direct spot crypto. Our goal is to do that in the next 12 months, and we’re on a great path to be able to do that.”
If approved, Schwab’s new offering would allow millions of its clients to buy and sell digital assets like bitcoin through their brokerage accounts.
Schwab currently offers bitcoin ETFs and futures but not direct trading of digital assets.
This move into spot bitcoin trading puts Schwab in direct competition with platforms like Coinbase and Robinhood which already allow users to trade digital assets.
It also signals a bigger trend of traditional financial firms embracing digital assets as mainstream investments.
Wurster said the company is being driven by customer demand.
“Visits to our crypto content have gone up 400% and 70% of those visitors are not yet Schwab clients. So we think we can attract a lot of new users,” he said, adding:
“As people in the industry are thinking about crypto, they’d love to work with a trusted brand and a firm that can bring them a lot of capabilities—and we’re that firm.”
One of the main reasons Charles Schwab has not offered direct bitcoin trading before is regulatory uncertainty in the U.S. Previous CEO Walt Bettinger said the lack of clarity was a major obstacle.
But with Donald Trump re-elected, Schwab executives think the regulatory environment is getting clearer.
Wurster said he expects better digital asset rules to come out under this administration and it will be easier for companies like Schwab to launch such services.
As Schwab gets into the spot bitcoin market, many in the community are watching how this will affect prices.
Right now bitcoin is around $87,000 and analysts are predicting a move to $100,000. Technicals show bitcoin is consolidating at key levels and if the momentum continues, it could break out.
Schwab’s $10 trillion in assets under management gives it the confidence to actively get into the spot bitcoin markets, a shift from just holding passive ETFs to deeper involvement.
Some think Schwab’s entry will have an impact similar to BlackRock and Fidelity launching bitcoin ETFs in early 2024.
If Schwab does launch spot bitcoin trading as planned, it will unlock a lot of liquidity and attract both retail and institutional investors to the platform and the broader market.
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