Interactive Brokers brings cryptocurrency trading access to European retail market
Interactive Brokers has introduced cryptocurrency trading capabilities for retail investors across the EEA, providing access to 11 different digital currencies along with conventional investment products via a unified platform.
Interactive Brokers has introduced cryptocurrency trading capabilities for retail investors throughout the European Economic Area (EEA), enabling qualified customers to purchase and trade 11 different digital currencies, such as Bitcoin and Ethereum, in addition to conventional financial instruments on its platform.
Based on Tuesday's public statement, the EEA Operation will be delivered via the firm's Ireland-domiciled entity, which holds authorization as a crypto-asset service provider within the region. Account holders will experience spot cryptocurrency trading seamlessly incorporated into their current brokerage accounts, with transaction fees beginning at 0.12%–0.18% and continuous 24/7 market availability.
Available digital assets for trading include Bitcoin (BTC), Ether (ETH), Solana (SOL), XRP (XRP), Cardano (ADA) and Dogecoin (DOGE), along with additional cryptocurrencies. The underlying trading operations and custody infrastructure are powered by Zerohash.
To be sure, Interactive is just getting started in the crypto space. On a January earnings call with stock analysts, CEO and President Milan Galik said "crypto revenues are, at the moment, small relative to the overall company's revenues."
He stated at that time that a European launch was anticipated during the first quarter and that the firm was aiming to enable client asset transfers in the near future and that "some crypto assets will migrate to our platform and take advantage of our superior pricing."
Interactive Brokers is a US-based electronic brokerage that provides trading across stocks, options, futures, currencies and other assets on more than 170 markets worldwide.
Traditional brokerages expand into crypto trading and infrastructure
Conventional financial institutions have been increasing their participation in digital assets, with brokerage firms and banking entities introducing trading platforms, custody solutions and infrastructure offerings in response to increasing client interest.
Fidelity Investments, among the first major traditional asset management companies to introduce crypto trading services, currently offers direct trading capabilities in four cryptocurrencies, access to cryptocurrency-linked investment funds through brokerage accounts, and the option to maintain digital assets within retirement accounts.
The firm has additionally issued a US dollar-pegged stablecoin, Fidelity Digital Dollar (FIDD), as part of a broader push into tokenized financial products.
In January, Charles Schwab signaled plans to launch spot Bitcoin trading, with CEO Rick Wurster indicating the company could roll out the service as early as April 2026 amid rising client demand for digital assets.
The same month, Morgan Stanley outlined plans to launch a digital asset wallet in 2026, alongside expanding crypto trading through its E*TRADE unit to support assets such as Bitcoin, Ether and Solana.
The news followed a company guideline released in October recommending crypto allocations of up to 4% in higher-risk, growth-oriented portfolios.
Shortly after being released, Bitwise CEO Hunter Horsley said on X that the report was "huge" and signals growing mainstream adoption of crypto.
