Charles Schwab to Add Solana, Avalanche and Chainlink to Crypto Platform

Schwab Crypto Plans to Add SOL, AVAX and LINK

Schwab said clients will be able to buy and sell the three assets through Schwab Crypto, which already lets clients view crypto and traditional investments side by side across Schwab.com, Schwab Mobile and thinkorswim. The company described the additions as a measured expansion into cryptocurrencies that align with client demand.

The planned list is selective. Schwab did not announce a broad marketplace or hundreds of new listings, choosing instead three assets that have sizable trading markets and distinct use cases. That makes the move easier to search and compare with the broker’s existing Bitcoin and Ether offering, but it does not make the assets interchangeable.

SOL is the largest of the three by market value, and its sharp recent move gives the listing plan an immediate market hook. Daily Crypto Briefs recently reported that Solana accounted for 97% of tokenized-equities spot volume in May, a usage statistic separate from the token’s price performance.

Avalanche comes to the platform as Schwab’s smaller-cap network selection. Its pricing and liquidity can respond differently to the larger assets, while the firm’s release did not disclose whether it will introduce the three tokens simultaneously, impose asset-specific limits or offer staking features.

Chainlink adds infrastructure exposure rather than another execution chain. The protocol’s LINK token is used within a network that supplies data and cross-chain services to smart contracts. Schwab did not say whether its educational materials will explain those differences to clients before the assets become tradeable.

Schwab’s 75-Basis-Point Fee and Availability Limits

The product’s practical terms are as important as its ticker list. Schwab says it charges 75 basis points on the dollar value of each crypto trade, or 0.75%. A $1,000 transaction at that published rate would carry a $7.50 charge before considering how the platform’s quoted price compares with other venues.

Schwab Crypto is offered by Charles Schwab Premier Bank, SSB, not as a securities product in a brokerage account. The company says the cryptocurrencies are not deposits, are not FDIC insured, are not SIPC protected and can lose value. Those disclosures remain unchanged as the asset menu expands.

The current Schwab Crypto product page says accounts are available in U.S. states other than New York and Louisiana, and only to clients who meet eligibility requirements. That means a national brokerage name does not translate into automatic availability for every existing customer.

The company also says it may delay, modify or withdraw support for an announced asset because of market, regulatory, operational or risk-related developments. Readers should therefore distinguish the confirmed plan from a completed launch, particularly before moving funds or arranging a trade around an unspecified opening date.

The model contrasts with E*Trade’s launch, where crypto transactions and custody occur through a linked Zero Hash account. Schwab’s announcement identifies its own affiliated bank as the provider, but it does not lay out separate custody, transfer-network or wallet-function details for SOL, AVAX and LINK.

Mainstream Brokers Keep Widening Direct Crypto Access

Schwab’s expansion is part of an increasingly competitive brokerage race for customers who want crypto exposure without opening a standalone exchange account. The broker’s integrated interface may reduce account switching, but it does not reduce token volatility or make direct assets eligible for traditional bank-deposit protections.

It also presents a narrower choice than exchange-based on-chain access. Kraken’s Solana trading expansion opened eligible customers to more than 2,500 on-chain tokens, a much wider inventory with a different set of self-custody and decentralized-liquidity risks. Schwab’s approach favors a short list and conventional brokerage support.

Broader sentiment has turned more positive alongside the asset rally. Alternative.me’s Crypto Fear and Greed Index was 71, classified as Greed, on August 27. That index is a sentiment reading, not a measure of whether any individual token belongs in a portfolio.

The next concrete signal is a launch date, followed by the actual order flow and any details on custody, transfers, supported networks and state-level availability. Until Schwab publishes those details, the confirmed news is a planned three-token expansion that could make SOL, AVAX and LINK available through a major U.S. brokerage’s crypto account.