Charles Schwab has seen a surge in retail investor interest in its crypto products.
In an interview with CNBC, CEO Rick Wurster said the number of visitors to Schwab’s crypto platform is up 90% year-over-year, demonstrating strong investor appetite for Bitcoin ETFs, Bitcoin futures, and other crypto exchange-traded products.
Schwab customers currently hold approximately 20% of all crypto ETPs in the U.S., Wurster emphasized, and the company is meeting this demand by combining digital access with traditional customer support over the phone and in-branch locations, as well as offering a wide range of crypto investment options and educational resources.
Charles Schwab also plans to offer spot trading for Bitcoin in the first half of 2026. CEO Rick Wurster shared the news during Schwab’s third-quarter earnings call, where the company reported $134.4 billion in net new assets, an increase of 48% year-over-year.
Earlier this year, the company announced plans to offer Bitcoin and Ethereum trading based on customer demand, noting that many wanted to consolidate their crypto holdings into Schwab.
Mr. Wurster’s thoughts in Charles Schwab Bank’s earnings call marked the first time the bank had set a tentative date for the initiative.
The cryptocurrency efforts come in tandem with Schwab’s broadly record-breaking quarter, with total client assets up 17% year-over-year to $11.59 trillion and average daily transaction value increasing 30%.
Wurster said the company’s strategy is focused on making crypto more accessible and understandable to a wider audience, offering both advanced trading platforms like ThinkorSwim and guidance for new investors.
Traditional finance dives into Bitcoin
Earlier this month, Morgan Stanley released a report instructing clients to allocate up to 2% to 4% of their portfolios to cryptocurrencies, primarily Bitcoin, based on their risk profile. The report described Bitcoin as a rare asset similar to digital gold and suggested it could play a legitimate role in diversification strategies.
He recommended rebalancing the portfolio regularly, ideally on a quarterly basis, and gaining exposure through exchange-traded products to manage volatility.
This guidance coincided with Bitcoin reaching an all-time high of around $126,200 as the company expanded access to digital assets through E*Trade.
Earlier this week, US Bank announced a new digital asset and money transfer organization in hopes of “accelerating the development and growing revenue of emerging digital products and services such as stablecoin issuance, cryptocurrency custody, asset tokenization, and digital money transfer.”
Additionally, holdings in Bitcoin ETFs by institutional investors increased to $870.7 million in Q3 2025, an increase of $117.3 million from the previous quarter.
Source: https://bitcoinmagazine.com/markets/charles-schwab-spike-in-crypto-interest
