Major brokers and institutions racing to offer crypto trading
Charles Schwab announced plans to launch direct bitcoin and ethereum spot trading for its millions of customers in the first half of 2026, joining a wave of traditional financial institutions integrating crypto. CoinShares became the first major crypto firm to go public via Nasdaq listing through a SPAC merger valued at $1.2 billion, signaling mainstream acceptance of crypto businesses. Circle launched cirBTC, a wrapped Bitcoin product for institutions, and began offering treasury management services for XRP and RLUSD. Brazil's B3 stock exchange introduced bitcoin-linked event contracts for wealthy investors. These moves show that major Wall Street players are normalizing crypto as an investable asset and building infrastructure to serve institutional demand.
Why it matters
This means crypto is becoming accessible through traditional financial accounts and companies you already trust, making it easier for regular investors to participate without using specialized crypto exchanges. It also signals that institutional money is flowing into crypto at scale, which typically strengthens markets long-term.
