Major financial institutions race to offer crypto products and services
Charles Schwab announced plans to launch direct Bitcoin and Ethereum spot trading for its millions of customers in the first half of 2026. Morgan Stanley launched a bitcoin ETF, BlackRock's bitcoin ETF saw record inflows, and Bitwise moved closer to launching a Hyperliquid ETF with updated regulatory filings. Circle announced plans for a quantum-resistant blockchain and launched cirBTC as a wrapped Bitcoin product for institutions. Traditional banks including six major Swiss banks built a unified digital franc on blockchain as a pilot project. These developments show Wall Street is no longer experimenting with crypto but actively integrating it into core business offerings. The speed at which major institutions are building crypto infrastructure suggests they view digital assets as permanent fixtures in finance.
Why it matters
When major brokers and banks offer crypto products, it makes buying Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies as easy as buying stocks. This mainstream integration removes barriers to entry for regular investors and signals that institutions believe crypto is here to stay.
