Interactive Brokers Brings Crypto Trading to European Retail Clients

Interactive Brokers just dropped a major play for European retail traders — launching crypto trading across the EEA. Starting now, eligible clients can buy and sell 11 digital assets (including BTC, ETH, SOL, XRP, ADA, DOGE, and more) right alongside their stocks, options, and futures in a single account. No more juggling platforms.

The move is powered through Interactive Brokers' Ireland-based entity, which is already authorized as a crypto-asset service provider in the region. Commissions start at 0.12%–0.18%, and trading is live 24/7. Under the hood, Zerohash provides the trading and custody infrastructure.

CEO Milan Galik had already hinted at this European debut on the Q4 2025 earnings call, saying it was expected in Q1 and that the firm hoped to soon support client asset transfers. He noted that crypto revenues are still "small relative to the overall company's revenues," but the goal is clear: migrate assets to their platform with "superior pricing."

This isn't an isolated move — it's part of a massive wave of traditional finance diving into digital assets. Fidelity Investments already offers direct trading in four cryptos, plus crypto-linked funds and the ability to hold digital assets in retirement accounts. They've even launched their own stablecoin, the Fidelity Digital Dollar (FIDD), pushing deeper into tokenization.

Charles Schwab has signaled plans to launch spot Bitcoin trading as early as April 2026, citing rising client demand. Morgan Stanley is also in the game — planning a digital asset wallet for 2026 and expanding crypto trading through its E*TRADE unit to include BTC, ETH, and SOL.

Back in October, Morgan Stanley even released guidelines recommending crypto allocations of up to 4% in higher-risk, growth-oriented portfolios. Bitwise CEO Hunter Horsley called the report "huge" on X, signaling growing mainstream adoption.