Charles Schwab Plans to Add Solana, Avalanche, and Chainlink Crypto Trading

Financial services giant Charles Schwab said Thursday it plans to add Solana, Avalanche, and Chainlink to its cryptocurrency trading platform over the coming months, expanding beyond Bitcoin and Ethereum, but did not provide a specific launch date. The addition comes about three months after Schwab rolled out direct Bitcoin and Ethereum trading to some retail clients, who previously could only gain crypto exposure through exchange-traded products and stocks like Coinbase and Strategy, without being able to buy cryptocurrencies directly. Joe Vietri, Schwab's head of digital assets, said the expansion will give clients more options for digital asset allocation. Solana focuses on fast, low-cost transactions, Avalanche supports businesses and developers in creating customized blockchains, and Chainlink connects blockchains with external information, providing data such as asset prices for smart contracts. Clients can buy and sell these cryptocurrencies on the company's website, mobile app, and thinkorswim platform, with a fee of 75 basis points (0.75%) per trade.