Charles Schwab to Launch Spot Bitcoin and Ethereum Trading in 2026, Because Nothing Says 'Buy the Dip' Like Waiting Two Years

Charles Schwab is finally dipping its toes into the crypto pool, announcing plans to roll out spot trading for Bitcoin and Ethereum in the first half of 2026. The timing? Well, it's just after Bitcoin logged its worst quarterly performance since early 2018 — nothing like showing up to the party when everyone's already heading home.

The announcement came alongside the reveal of a new cryptocurrency page in Schwab's Investment Products section, confirming the spot offering is indeed on the way. A company spokesperson confirmed: "We are on schedule to launch our spot crypto offering in the first half of 2026, starting with Bitcoin and Ethereum." For now, interested parties can sign up online for updates and early access — because nothing builds hype like a waitlist for a waitlist.

Currently, Bitcoin is trading at $66,938.64, up 0.07% over the past 24 hours, while Ethereum sits at $2,051.92, down 0.15%. The assets under management giant manages over $12.2 trillion and already offers crypto-related investment options like stocks in Coinbase and Strategy, plus various exchange-traded products. That's a whole lot of TBTF energy for a company that's been watching from the sidelines while degens got rekt.

The move follows CEO Rick Wurster's March interview mentioning a restricted release in Q2 with expansion later in the year. Analysts spotted a signup form indicating only US-based residents are eligible, excluding New York and Louisiana. Nothing says "mainstream adoption" like carefully curated geographic exclusion — must be all those compliance lawyers doing their due diligence.

Why the wait? Schwab says it was simply waiting for regulatory clarity. The firm has also shown interest in stablecoins, with Wurster noting: "Stablecoins are likely to be important for transactions on blockchains, and we want to offer that." Because nothing says "we're forward-thinking" like admitting stablecoins are the future while launching spot trading two years after the rest of the gang.

If confirmed, Schwab will join rivals Fidelity and Robinhood in the crypto trading space. Meanwhile, Bitcoin