$13 Trillion Broker Schwab to Add Solana, Avalanche and Chainlink Trading
August 29, 2026
Wall Street’s Biggest Brokerage Deepens Its Crypto Push
Charles Schwab, the brokerage giant sitting on $13.04 trillion in client assets, has announced plans to add Solana (SOL), Avalanche (AVAX) and Chainlink (LINK) to its Schwab Crypto platform. The move takes one of the most conservative names in American finance deeper into digital assets than it has ever gone before. The expansion, reported by The Block, comes just three months after Schwab Crypto launched in May 2026 with only Bitcoin and Ethereum on the menu. The three new coins will arrive “in the coming months,” the firm said. The headline number here is scale. Schwab counts 39.9 million active brokerage accounts, and every one of them is a potential crypto buyer the moment the switch flips.What Exactly Is Schwab Offering?
Schwab Crypto lets clients buy and sell digital assets directly inside their existing Schwab relationship, through the firm’s website, mobile app and thinkorswim trading platform. The service is offered through Charles Schwab Premier Bank and is available in most US states, with New York and Louisiana the notable exceptions. Joe Vietri, Schwab’s head of digital assets, framed the expansion as a response to client demand. “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,” he said. The firm charges 75 basis points on the dollar value of each trade, and it has confirmed that more coins are planned over time. Anyone following the latest crypto news will recognize the pattern: a cautious launch, then a steady widening of the shelf.Why Solana, Avalanche and Chainlink Made the Cut
The three additions are established large-cap networks rather than speculative newcomers. Solana is a high-speed blockchain known for cheap transactions and a booming app ecosystem. Avalanche runs customizable blockchains aimed at institutions and gaming, while Chainlink supplies the price data feeds that most of decentralized finance depends on. Markets noticed immediately. Solana rallied after the announcement and was trading near $106 on Friday, according to CoinMarketCap, holding most of its post-news gains while traders watched broader crypto prices push higher into the end of August. For Schwab, the selection logic appears simple: pick the names with the deepest liquidity, the longest track records and the clearest institutional demand.
How Buying Crypto Through a Broker Actually Works
Here is the mechanism worth understanding. When you buy crypto through a brokerage like Schwab, you do not receive the coins yourself. The broker’s custody partner holds the assets, and your account shows a balance, much like holding a stock. There are no seed phrases to protect and no addresses to mistype, which is exactly why beginners find the route appealing. The trade-off is control and cost. That 0.75% fee means a $1,000 purchase costs $7.50 each way, more than most native crypto platforms charge. And because the broker holds the keys, you cannot move your coins to a personal digital wallet, spend them, or use them in decentralized apps. You own the exposure, not the asset itself. Neither model is wrong. They simply serve different users, and Schwab is betting that tens of millions of its clients prefer convenience over control.A Measured Strategy in a Crowded Field
Schwab’s five-coin menu still looks tiny compared to Coinbase or Robinhood, which list hundreds of assets. According to Cointelegraph’s coverage, that gap is deliberate: Schwab is expanding “thoughtfully,” adding only assets it considers established. The brokerage is not stopping at spot crypto either. It plans to launch prediction contracts tied to the S&P 500 through a partnership with Cboe Global Markets in the coming months. The competitive backdrop is moving fast. Just this week, Coinbase put tokenized Apple, Nvidia and Meta stocks on Base, pulling equities onto crypto rails while Schwab pulls crypto onto brokerage rails. The two industries are converging from opposite directions.Could More Altcoins Be Next?
Schwab has said it intends to add further cryptocurrencies and other digital assets over time, though it has not named candidates. If the firm follows the pattern set by ETF issuers, assets like XRP and Litecoin could plausibly enter the conversation, but nothing is confirmed. Analysts suggest the bigger effect may be behavioral. When a trusted household brokerage offers an asset, hesitant investors who would never sign up for a crypto exchange may take their first position. That dynamic could matter more for adoption than any single listing. Much will depend on market conditions. A sustained rally could accelerate Schwab’s timeline, while a sharp downturn may slow the rollout.Traditional Finance Has Stopped Testing the Waters
The deeper story is that crypto access is becoming a standard feature of mainstream finance rather than a novelty bolted on for headlines. Schwab launched with two coins, monitored demand, and is now expanding the offering within a single quarter. The battle among brokerages is shifting from whether to offer crypto to how much of it to offer, and how cheaply. For an industry that spent a decade dismissing digital assets, the fact that a $13 trillion institution is now competing on altcoin selection may be the clearest signal yet of where finance is heading.
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Madiha Riaz
Madiha is a seasoned researcher in cryptocurrency, blockchain, and emerging Web3 technologies. With a background in organic chemistry and a sharp analytical mindset, she brings scientific depth to decentralized innovation. Since discovering crypto in 2017 and investing in 2018, she’s been uncovering and sharing deep insights into how blockchain is redefining the digital asset landscape.
