Charles Schwab is expanding its cryptocurrency offerings with the addition of Solana (SOL), Avalanche (AVAX) and Chainlink (LINK) to its Schwab Crypto platform, according to an announcement Thursday. The three tokens will join Bitcoin and Ethereum, which have been available since the brokerage began rolling out digital asset trading in May 2026. The expansion targets clients seeking established digital assets beyond the two largest cryptocurrencies by market capitalization.
"With this expansion, clients will have more choices to build a digital asset allocation alongside the investing and banking experience they know and trust at Schwab," said Joe Vietri, head of digital assets at Charles Schwab, in a statement.
Market Context
The move comes as cryptocurrency prices have rallied significantly over the past week following the Treasury's announcement to double its purchases of longer-dated Treasury bonds through buyback operations. Bitcoin is currently trading at $79,801, up more than 11% over the seven-day period. Ethereum has climbed to $2,505, representing a 10% gain over the same timeframe. Solana has outperformed both majors with a 22% weekly surge.
The addition of SOL, AVAX and LINK positions Schwab to capture demand from traders and investors looking for exposure to different blockchain ecosystems beyond Ethereum's base layer. Avalanche and Chainlink serve distinct use cases—AVAX as a smart contracts platform competing in the DeFi space, while LINK functions as an oracle network powering data feeds across numerous blockchain applications.
Analysis
Charles Schwab is signaling its intent to build out a more comprehensive digital asset offering through incremental expansion rather than attempting to list every token at once. The selection of Solana, Avalanche and Chainlink reflects demand for established cryptocurrencies with proven track records and liquid markets—criteria that likely excluded hundreds of altcoins from consideration.
Solana's official X account highlighted the significance of the listing in a post: "Direct SOL access for 39.9M brokerage accounts, sitting on $13.04T in client assets." The numbers underscore Schwab's scale as a distribution channel for digital asset exposure. With nearly 40 million brokerage accounts and over $13 trillion in client assets, even modest allocation shifts toward crypto could translate into substantial trading volume.
The timing aligns with broader institutional adoption trends, as traditional brokerages race to offer cryptocurrency access before potential regulatory changes reshape the competitive landscape. In June, Schwab launched 24/7 crypto futures trading for Bitcoin, Ethereum, Solana and XRP through its thinkorswim platform—an indication that the firm is building a multi-product digital asset ecosystem rather than offering single-point exposure.
Key Numbers
- Fee structure: 75 basis points charged on dollar value of each cryptocurrency trade
- Brokerage accounts gaining access: approximately 39.9 million
- Client assets under management at Schwab: $13.04 trillion
- Solana weekly price performance: up 22% to current levels
- Avalanche and Chainlink now join Bitcoin and Ethereum as available tokens on the platform
What to Watch
Watch for client adoption rates once SOL, AVAX and LINK trading goes live in the coming months. Institutional flow will be a key metric—Schwab's existing relationships with wealth management clients could bring a different caliber of volume than retail-heavy crypto exchanges. The firm's stated plan to add more cryptocurrencies over time suggests additional listings may follow if demand materializes. Price levels for all three new additions warrant monitoring, as Schwab's 39.9 million account base represents meaningful new demand potential in an asset class where order books can shift quickly on large inflows.