Charles Schwab is set to enter the Bitcoin trading market, as stated by CEO Rick Wurster in a recent interview with CNBC. This positions Charles Schwab as a direct rival to Coinbase, according to Wurster.
“Our clientele is engaged in crypto today,” Wurster remarked. “In fact, our clients possess over 20% of the exchange-traded product crypto in the entire sector, indicating their investment.” Despite this, he emphasized that crypto assets currently account for “only about $25 billion out of the $10.8 trillion that our clients hold, making it relatively modest.”
Wurster disclosed that Charles Schwab is “looking to roll out Bitcoin and ether, sometime soon so that our clients can access that.” He noted that this initiative could act as a significant growth catalyst for the organization.
Wurster clarified that client interest is influencing this choice. “What we often hear from many of our clients is that they have 98% of their wealth here at Schwab, and they might retain a percent or two at some digital native company for their crypto, and they truly wish to return it to Schwab because they have faith in us,” Wurster stated. “They want it to be alongside their other assets, so we anticipate seeing real growth when we introduce those to the market.”
When questioned if Schwab would be directly competing with Coinbase, Wurster confidently replied: “It certainly would. If they’re acquiring their crypto at Coinbase, we would love to see them transition their crypto back to Schwab.”
This announcement coincides with President Trump’s intended signing of the GENIUS Act into law. This legislation is expected to create a regulatory framework for stablecoins, which many believe will lead to an uptick in BTC trading volume, further motivating traditional finance firms like Schwab to adopt Bitcoin.
