Charles Schwab plans to add Solana (SOL), Avalanche (AVAX) and Chainlink (LINK) to its Schwab Crypto trading platform in the coming months, expanding beyond the spot Bitcoin and Ether trading it launched in mid-2026, according to The Block and Decrypt. The brokerage, which serves tens of millions of retail accounts, charges 0.75% per crypto trade.
What happened?
Schwab announced on Aug. 27, 2026, that it would add SOL, AVAX and LINK to Schwab Crypto, making the three tokens available for clients to buy and sell “in the coming months,” The Block and Decrypt reported. The expansion builds on Schwab’s spot crypto rollout: the firm made Schwab Crypto available to a first wave of eligible retail clients starting in June 2026, initially offering direct trading in Bitcoin and Ether through its Charles Schwab Premier Bank unit.
On the mechanics, Decrypt reported that Schwab charges a 0.75% fee on every crypto trade and that the service is available in all US states except New York and Louisiana. The move had been telegraphed months earlier: CoinDesk reported in April 2026 that Schwab planned to launch spot Bitcoin and Ether trading in the first half of the year, positioning the firm to compete with Robinhood and Coinbase.
Why does it matter?
Schwab is one of the largest US brokerages, and its decision to list altcoins beyond Bitcoin and Ether extends mainstream, regulated access to assets that retail investors have mostly had to reach through crypto-native exchanges. Adding Solana, Avalanche and Chainlink — a high-throughput layer-1, a smart-contract platform, and the leading oracle network, respectively — signals that a traditional-finance gatekeeper sees durable client demand across a wider set of tokens, not just the two largest.
The competitive framing is explicit. By offering direct spot trading inside familiar brokerage accounts, Schwab is going head-to-head with Robinhood and Coinbase, which have courted younger investors with commission-free or low-cost crypto trading. Schwab’s 0.75% per-trade fee is a data point in that contest, though fee structures differ across platforms.
How did Schwab get here?
Schwab’s crypto push has been telegraphed for months. CNBC reported in April 2026 that the firm would launch direct Bitcoin and Ether trading to compete with Robinhood, with CEO Rick Wurster confirming the plan; CoinDesk reported the same month that the launch was slated for the first half of 2026 through the Charles Schwab Premier Bank unit. The service then went live to a first wave of eligible retail clients in June 2026, initially covering Bitcoin and Ether, per Decrypt. The August announcement to add SOL, AVAX and LINK is the first expansion of that lineup.
Which assets is Schwab adding?
According to The Block and Decrypt, the three additions are Solana (SOL), Avalanche (AVAX) and Chainlink (LINK), joining Bitcoin and Ether on Schwab Crypto. Schwab described them as coming “in the coming months,” and did not, in the cited reporting, commit to a specific launch date or say whether further tokens would follow. Availability remains limited to eligible clients and excludes New York and Louisiana. Where the platform stands today:
| Detail | Status |
|---|---|
| Live assets | Bitcoin (BTC), Ether (ETH) — since June 2026 |
| Coming assets | Solana (SOL), Avalanche (AVAX), Chainlink (LINK) — “in the coming months” |
| Trading fee | 0.75% per trade |
| Availability | All US states except New York and Louisiana; eligible clients |
For more on token listings and adoption across the market, see our altcoins hub.
What to watch next
The broader significance is that a legacy brokerage with a large, older client base is steadily widening its crypto menu rather than treating it as a one-off. Each added token lowers the friction for traditional investors to gain exposure without leaving the account where they already hold stocks and funds — a channel distinct from crypto-native venues.
Watch for a firm launch date for the three new tokens, whether Schwab widens eligibility beyond its initial client waves or adds the two excluded states, and whether it lists additional assets after SOL, AVAX and LINK. Also worth tracking is how Schwab’s fee and feature set evolve against Robinhood and Coinbase as competition for retail crypto order flow intensifies. This is a report on a product expansion, not a recommendation about any of the tokens involved.
Sources: The Block — Charles Schwab to add Solana, Avalanche and Chainlink to crypto trading platform; Decrypt — Charles Schwab Expands Crypto Trading Beyond Bitcoin and Ethereum; CoinDesk — Schwab plans spot crypto trading launch in first half of 2026
This is news reporting, not investment advice.
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Disclaimer: The content on this page is for informational purposes only and does not constitute financial advice. Always do your own research before making investment decisions.
David Okafor leads DeFi and Web3 coverage at STNews with 7 years of experience in decentralized finance research. Previously a research analyst at a16z crypto, David has published in-depth protocols analyses on Uniswap, Aave, and Lido. He holds a B.S. in Computer Science from Stanford and is a certified Ethereum developer. David's work focuses on yield mechanisms, governance tokens, and Layer-2 scaling solutions.
Conflicts of interest
I do not invest in early-stage tokens. Long-term holdings disclosed at the bottom of each article.
