Interactive Brokers has expanded its services to retail investors in the European Economic Area (EEA), enabling eligible clients to trade 11 digital assets alongside traditional financial instruments. The rollout is handled through the company’s Ireland-based entity, which holds authorization as a crypto-asset service provider in the region. Spot crypto trading is integrated directly into existing brokerage accounts, with commissions ranging from 0.12% to 0.18% and round-the-clock market access.
Among the tradable digital assets are Bitcoin, Ether, Solana, XRP, Cardano, and Dogecoin. The underlying trading and custody infrastructure is provided by Zerohash. The launch marks a significant step for the US-based electronic brokerage, which operates across more than 170 markets worldwide and offers trading in stocks, options, futures, and currencies.
Company CEO and President Milan Galik acknowledged during a January earnings call that crypto revenues remain modest relative to the firm’s overall business. He had indicated at that time that a European launch was anticipated in the first quarter, and expressed hope that clients would soon be able to transfer crypto assets onto the platform to benefit from its pricing structure. The company also signaled plans to support asset migration from other platforms.
Interactive Brokers’ entry into EEA crypto trading reflects a broader trend of traditional financial institutions deepening their involvement in digital assets. Brokerages and banks have been rolling out trading, custody, and infrastructure services in response to growing client demand. Several major players have made notable moves in this space in recent months.
Fidelity Investments, one of the earlier established asset managers to offer crypto trading, currently provides direct trading in four cryptocurrencies, access to crypto-linked funds through brokerage accounts, and the option to hold digital assets in retirement accounts. The firm has also issued a US dollar-pegged stablecoin called Fidelity Digital Dollar as part of a wider push into tokenized financial products.
Charles Schwab signaled in January its intention to launch spot Bitcoin trading, with CEO Rick Wurster indicating the service could be available as early as April 2026 amid rising client interest. That same month, Morgan Stanley outlined plans to introduce a digital asset wallet in 2026 and to expand crypto trading through its E*TRADE unit, covering assets such as Bitcoin, Ether, and Solana. The announcement followed an internal company guideline issued in October recommending crypto allocations of up to 4% in higher-risk, growth-oriented portfolios.
The guideline drew attention from industry figures, with Bitwise CEO Hunter Horsley describing it on social media platform X as a significant signal of growing mainstream adoption of digital assets. Taken together, these developments point to an accelerating shift among established financial institutions toward integrating crypto services into their core offerings.
Originally reported by CoinTelegraph.
