Schwab Expands Crypto Offerings to Include Solana, Avalanche, and Chainlink

Charles Schwab to Add Solana, Avalanche and Chainlink to Retail Crypto Offering Charles Schwab announced on Aug. 27 that it will expand Schwab Crypto beyond Bitcoin and Ethereum by adding Solana (SOL), Avalanche (AVAX) and Chainlink (LINK) to its U.S. retail trading platform “in the coming months.” No firm launch date was given, nor did the firm say whether all three tokens will go live simultaneously or follow the phased rollout used for its initial crypto products. What’s changing - Schwab Crypto’s direct-trading menu will increase from two assets (BTC, ETH) to five. - The firm said it selected SOL, AVAX and LINK based on customer interest and the assets’ established market profiles, but it did not publish full selection criteria or trading limits. - Joe Vietri, Schwab’s head of digital assets, framed the move as giving clients “more choices to build a digital asset allocation alongside the investing and banking experience they know and trust at Schwab.” Custody, execution and pricing - Trades on Schwab Crypto use Paxos for execution and sub-custody; Schwab Premier Bank holds customer assets. - When Schwab launched direct trading earlier in 2026, it set a transaction fee of 75 basis points (0.75%). That pricing remains below Fidelity’s reported ~1% and above Morgan Stanley’s E*Trade pilot at 0.5%. - Clients can view crypto holdings alongside stocks, bonds and ETFs on Schwab.com, Schwab Mobile and thinkorswim. Access, limits and remaining questions - Schwab confirmed demand will guide future listings and said it expects to add more assets over time, but it did not name additional tokens under consideration. - Notably absent from the announcement were assets some users have publicly requested—such as XRP, Hyperliquid and Zcash—though Schwab did not explain whether regulatory, liquidity or other factors led to their exclusion. - The service initially launched without support for external deposits or withdrawals. Schwab said it has started testing crypto transfers, which could eventually enable movement of eligible assets between the brokerage and outside platforms. - Schwab has not said whether staking, on-chain withdrawals, or deposits will be supported for SOL, AVAX and LINK at launch. - Schwab Crypto remains unavailable to customers in New York, Louisiana, U.S. territories and international markets; the company did not indicate whether geographic availability will change with the additions. - Customers must open a separate Schwab Crypto account linked to their main Schwab relationship; custody stays with Schwab Premier Bank and its infrastructure provider rather than self-custody. Institutional and adviser plans - Schwab is also preparing digital-asset services for registered investment advisers, with a tentative mid-2027 rollout under consideration for spot trading, transfers and custody. Schwab warned timing could shift. - Many advisers still use crypto exchange-traded products for client exposure; Schwab CEO Rick Wurster has said clients held about $25 billion in crypto ETPs through the firm. Scale and competitive context - At the end of Q2, Charles Schwab reported $13.1 trillion in client assets and 39.8 million active brokerage accounts, with $7.1 billion in quarterly revenue (up 21% year-over-year) and daily average trades rising 57% to 11.9 million. - Those figures show Schwab’s large customer base—potentially a major on-ramp to crypto for investors who don’t want a separate exchange account. E*Trade’s earlier pilot included Solana alongside Bitcoin and Ethereum, a precedent that may have influenced Schwab’s expansion. - Zerohash provides infrastructure for Morgan Stanley’s E*Trade crypto offering; Schwab relies on Paxos. Market reaction - Markets reacted quickly to the news. Solana traded around $104.84 after the announcement—up more than 9% in 24 hours, with an intraday range near $95.23–$105.55 and a roughly 70% jump in reported volume. Avalanche rose about 2% within an hour, while Chainlink gained over 2% and more than 5% on a 24-hour basis. Broader crypto market strength likely contributed to these moves, making it hard to attribute gains solely to Schwab’s news. Bottom line For U.S. retail investors, Schwab’s move gives another regulated, bank-backed route to buy SOL, AVAX and LINK—on the same platform they use for stocks and funds—though access won’t be immediate and many operational details remain undecided. Schwab’s future listings will be shaped by customer demand, and the industry will be watching whether the firm expands transfer functionality, staking or broader geographic availability as it matures its crypto product suite.