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Charles Schwab just tripled its crypto menu. The brokerage giant announced on August 27 that it will add Chainlink (LINK), Solana (SOL), and Avalanche (AVAX) to its Schwab Crypto platform, joining Bitcoin and Ethereum as the only digital assets available to its nearly 40 million account holders.
For a firm that manages roughly $13.1 trillion in client assets, even a modest crypto expansion sends a signal that reverberates well beyond its own platform. The new tokens are expected to roll out in the coming months.
From two tokens to five
Schwab launched direct trading of BTC and ETH in May 2026, dipping a toe into crypto waters with the caution you’d expect from one of America’s largest brokerages. The addition of SOL, AVAX, and LINK represents the firm’s first expansion since that initial launch, barely three months later.
Joe Vietri, Head of Digital Assets at Schwab, framed the move as a response to what clients are asking for. He said the expansion gives clients greater flexibility in managing their digital asset allocations while staying within Schwab’s established investment and banking framework.
The fee question
Schwab charges 75 basis points, or 0.75%, per crypto trade. That’s not the cheapest rate in the industry, but it’s competitive enough to matter when you consider the context.
A Schwab client doesn’t need to create a separate Coinbase or Kraken account, navigate a different interface, or manage yet another set of credentials. They get crypto trading integrated directly into the same platform where they manage stocks, bonds, and ETFs.
Compare that 0.75% to what many retail investors actually pay elsewhere. Coinbase’s simple trade interface charges spreads that can exceed 1.5% for smaller transactions. Kraken’s instant buy fees run up to 1.5% as well.
Why these three tokens
Solana is the high-throughput Layer 1 blockchain that has become a favorite for DeFi and consumer applications. Its token consistently ranks among the top ten by market capitalization, and its trading volume across exchanges makes it liquid enough for a platform serving 39.8 million accounts.
Avalanche occupies a similar Layer 1 niche but with a different technical architecture, offering subnet-based customization that has attracted institutional interest.
Chainlink is an oracle network, the infrastructure that feeds real-world data into smart contracts. Its selection signals that Schwab’s clients, or at least Schwab’s digital assets team, understand that crypto isn’t just about base-layer blockchains.
Disclosure: This article was edited by Editorial Team. For more information on how we create and review content, see our Editorial Policy.
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