Schwab's Thinkorswim Adds 24/7 Crypto Futures Trading

Charles Schwab has moved further into the digital asset derivatives market by launching round-the-clock trading for select cryptocurrency futures on its thinkorswim platform. The expansion adds continuous trading capabilities for some of the largest digital assets, bringing a bit more mainstream institutional access to the crypto ecosystem. The update confirms that futures for Bitcoin, Ether, Solana, and XRP are now available to clients nearly 24 hours a day, seven days a week across all thinkorswim platforms.

Schwab's integration of cryptocurrency products has been a steady, phased process — a brief timeline of the firm's crypto foray follows.

In 2022, Charles Schwab made an early move by becoming a founding investor in EDX Markets, an institutional cryptocurrency exchange backed by major Wall Street players such as Citadel Securities and Fidelity Digital Assets.

In June 2023, EDX Markets officially began processing trades. The platform initially offered trading for a highly restricted list of assets, including Bitcoin, Ethereum, Litecoin, and Bitcoin Cash.

Earlier this year, Schwab launched Schwab Crypto™, a retail spot trading service giving eligible U.S. clients direct ownership access to Bitcoin and Ethereum.

Expanding beyond spot trading, Schwab rolled out its first 24/7 product with cryptocurrency futures on thinkorswim, covering Bitcoin, Ether, Solana, and Ripple (XRP).

Schwab is reportedly targeting mid-2027 to launch spot crypto trading, transfer, and custody capabilities for registered investment advisors on its custody platform. Plenty of time to update the risk disclosures.