Schwab to Add Solana, Avalanche and Chainlink to Its Retail Crypto Lineup

Charles Schwab said Aug. 27 it will broaden Schwab Crypto beyond Bitcoin and Ethereum, adding Solana (SOL), Avalanche (AVAX) and Chainlink (LINK) to its U.S. retail trading platform in the coming months. The company did not provide a launch date and has not said whether the three tokens will debut at the same time or roll out in phases. The expansion will take Schwab Crypto's direct-trading list from two assets (BTC, ETH) to five. Schwab said the additions reflect customer interest and the tokens' established market standing, without detailing its full selection criteria or any trading limits. Joe Vietri, Schwab's head of digital assets, said the goal is to give clients more options to build a digital-asset allocation within the Schwab investing and banking experience. Trades are executed and sub-custodied through Paxos, while Schwab Premier Bank holds customer assets. When Schwab introduced direct crypto trading earlier in 2026, it set a transaction fee of 75 basis points (0.75%). That remains below Fidelity's reported ~1% and above Morgan Stanley's E*Trade pilot fee of 0.5%. Clients can view crypto positions alongside stocks, bonds and ETFs on Schwab.com, Schwab Mobile and thinkorswim. Schwab said demand will continue to guide future listings and it expects to add more assets over time, but it did not name any candidates. The announcement did not include tokens some users have publicly requested, including XRP, Hyperliquid and Zcash; Schwab did not discuss whether regulation, liquidity or other considerations played a role. The service launched without support for external deposits or withdrawals. Schwab said it has begun testing crypto transfers, which could ultimately allow eligible assets to move between the brokerage and external platforms. The firm has not said whether staking, on-chain withdrawals, or deposits will be available for SOL, AVAX and LINK at launch. Schwab Crypto is still unavailable in New York, Louisiana, U.S. territories and international markets, and the company did not indicate any changes to geographic access. Customers must open a separate Schwab Crypto account linked to their main Schwab relationship; custody remains with Schwab Premier Bank and its infrastructure partners rather than self-custody. Schwab is also developing digital-asset services for registered investment advisers, with a tentative mid-2027 timeframe under consideration for spot trading, transfers and custody, though it cautioned the schedule could shift. Many advisers still use crypto exchange-traded products for exposure; Schwab CEO Rick Wurster has said clients hold about $25 billion in crypto ETPs through the firm. Schwab's scale could make it a meaningful on-ramp for investors who prefer not to open a separate exchange account. At the end of Q2, the company reported $13.1 trillion in client assets and 39.8 million active brokerage accounts. Quarterly revenue totaled $7.1 billion, up 21% year over year, while daily average trades climbed 57% to 11.9 million. The move follows Morgan Stanley's E*Trade pilot, which included Solana alongside Bitcoin and Ethereum. Zerohash provides infrastructure for E*Trade's crypto offering, while Schwab relies on Paxos. Markets moved after the announcement. Solana traded around $104.84, up more than 9% over 24 hours, with an intraday range near $95.23–$105.55 and about a 70% rise in reported volume. Avalanche gained about 2% within an hour, while Chainlink rose more than 2% and was up over 5% on a 24-hour basis. Broader crypto strength also appeared to support prices, complicating attribution. For U.S. retail investors, Schwab's planned additions offer another regulated, bank-backed channel to buy SOL, AVAX and LINK on the same platform used for stocks and funds. Key operational details—including timing, transfer support, staking and any expansion in geographic availability—remain unresolved, and the market will be watching how Schwab evolves its crypto product suite.