$11.6 Trillion Asset Manager Charles Schwab Confirms Crypto Trading Timeline

Charles Schwab will switch on spot cryptocurrency trading in the first half of 2026, CEO Rick Wurster told investors on Nov. 5. The plan is to offer direct, in-platform access to Bitcoin and Ethereum, giving millions of brokerage customers a way to buy the two biggest digital assets inside an environment they already trust.

$11.59 trillion in client assets

Wurster’s update lands right after the OCC and the FDIC scrapped their old “ask us first” posture on crypto and clarified that national and FDIC-supervised banks may run custody, execution and certain stablecoin services as long as they manage risk and stay inside existing law.

The policy shift in March–May 2025 removed the biggest procedural hurdle for large U.S. financial firms that wanted to add crypto but did not want to file special notices. Schwab is now taking advantage of that green light and building its own spot stack instead of buying an exchange. This shows the bank regulators’ recalibration is working.

Wurster’s statement sparked optimism among investors who view Schwab’s entry as a signal of institutional confidence in digital assets. Market observers noted that Schwab’s decision aligns with other large-scale efforts by U.S. banks to integrate blockchain-based financial tools within traditional frameworks.

Analysts expect Schwab’s upcoming launch to accelerate the mainstream acceptance of crypto trading in the regulated financial sector. While no specific launch date has been confirmed, the first half of 2026 timeline marks the beginning of one of the largest institutional rollouts of direct crypto trading to date.