Bitcoin

Dogecoin

Ethereum

Chainlink

Cardano

Solana

Avalanche

Wall Street’s retail brokerages are putting <a href="https://coinmarketcap.com/academy/glossary/altcoin" rel="noopener noreferrer">altcoins</a> in front of millions more investors. Whether those investors buy is the real question.Brokerages including Charles Schwab, E*TRADE, and Interactive Brokers—collectively covering 54 million user accounts—are bringing tokens such as Solana (<a href="https://coinmarketcap.com/currencies/solana/" rel="noopener noreferrer">SOL</a>), <a href="https://coinmarketcap.com/currencies/xrp/" rel="noopener noreferrer">XRP</a>, Avalanche (<a href="https://coinmarketcap.com/currencies/avalanche/" rel="noopener noreferrer">AVAX</a>), and Chainlink (<a href="https://coinmarketcap.com/currencies/chainlink/" rel="noopener noreferrer">LINK</a>) onto the platforms clients already use to trade stocks and funds. The expansion has the potential to dramatically broaden the crypto market’s buyer base.Schwab is the latest to join the fray. The firm<a href="https://pressroom.aboutschwab.com/press-releases/press-release/2026/Charles-Schwab-Announces-Plans-to-Expand-Digital-Assets-Available-in-Schwab-Crypto-Accounts/default.aspx" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow"> said</a> on Aug. 27 that clients will be able to trade SOL, AVAX, and LINK “in the coming months,” adding to its existing Bitcoin (<a href="https://coinmarketcap.com/currencies/bitcoin/" rel="noopener noreferrer">BTC</a>) and Ethereum (<a href="https://coinmarketcap.com/currencies/ethereum/" rel="noopener noreferrer">ETH</a>) offerings.<img src="https://academy-public.coinmarketcap.com/optimized-uploads/fe5ddbaaa15c4cae87bb38a21b1f7288.png">Schwab is the latest large retail brokerage to offer altcoin trading. Source: <a href="https://pressroom.aboutschwab.com/press-releases/press-release/2026/Charles-Schwab-Announces-Plans-to-Expand-Digital-Assets-Available-in-Schwab-Crypto-Accounts/default.aspx" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">Schwab&nbsp;</a>And Schwab is in good company. E*TRADE <a href="https://www.morganstanley.com/press-releases/etrade-completes-crypto-spot-trading-rollout" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">launched</a> direct trading in Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Solana in July, while<a href="https://www.interactivebrokers.com/en/general/about/mediaRelations/7-15-26.php" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow"></a>Interactive Brokers has <a href="https://www.interactivebrokers.com/en/general/about/mediaRelations/7-15-26.php" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">started</a> offering 20 cryptocurrencies, including XRP, Cardano (<a href="https://coinmarketcap.com/currencies/cardano/" rel="noopener noreferrer">ADA</a>), Dogecoin (<a href="https://coinmarketcap.com/currencies/dogecoin/" rel="noopener noreferrer">DOGE</a>), Avalanche, and Chainlink.“Major brokerage access for SOL, AVAX and LINK is a meaningful step,” crypto analyst Scott Melker<a href="https://x.com/scottmelker/status/2092974679849914463" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow"> wrote</a> on X. “This expands the addressable buyer base beyond crypto-native platforms.”Notably, while SOL, LINK, and AVAX respectively <a href="https://www.fxstreet.com/cryptocurrencies/news/solana-avalanche-chainlink-see-gains-as-charles-schwab-plans-to-roll-out-spot-trading-products-202608272125" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">rose</a> 13%, 6%, and 4% after the Schwab announcement, most of those gains faded by Sept.1.<h2 id="altcoins-move-into-the-main-brokerage-account">Altcoins Move Into the Main Brokerage Account</h2>Crucially, the rollouts place altcoins on platforms traditional investors already trust.A<a href="https://www.morganstanley.com/press-releases/etrade-completes-crypto-spot-trading-rollout" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow"> Morgan Stanley survey</a> found that an established company was the leading consideration when investors chose where to trade crypto, ahead of integrated portfolio views, fees, pricing, and customer service.<img src="https://academy-public.coinmarketcap.com/optimized-uploads/50fb46246f464bc5a3fd8d3c0f4cb536.png">Investors favor trusted platforms for buying crypto. Source: <a href="https://www.morganstanley.com/press-releases/etrade-completes-crypto-spot-trading-rollout" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">Morgan Stanley</a>Clients can buy selected altcoins without having to open and fund a separate crypto exchange account. That simplifies trading while keeping more of their money and activity inside Schwab, E*TRADE, and Interactive Brokers.“Our clients want the flexibility to diversify into crypto-assets while maintaining the tools, pricing, and trust they rely on,” Interactive Brokers CEO Milan Galik<a href="https://via.tt.se/pressmeddelande/4314389/interactive-brokers-launches-crypto-asset-trading-for-individual-investors-in-the-european-economic-area?lang=en&amp;publisherId=259167" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow"> said</a> in March.More mature crypto infrastructure and clearer regulation are making expansion easier.Brokerages can add crypto without building exchanges from scratch. Infrastructure providers such as Zerohash and Paxos handle trading and custody. Meanwhile, a March joint<a href="https://www.cftc.gov/PressRoom/PressReleases/9198-26" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow"> SEC-CFTC interpretation</a> said “most crypto assets are not themselves securities,” reducing uncertainty around product launches.<h2 id="solana-and-xrp-have-already-found-buyers">Solana and XRP Have Already Found Buyers</h2>Solana and XRP exchange-traded funds (<a href="https://coinmarketcap.com/academy/glossary/exchange-traded-fund-etf" rel="noopener noreferrer">ETFs</a>) have already found buyers through ordinary brokerage accounts. However, demand has been uneven across altcoins, with LINK and AVAX dramatically lagging SOL and XRP.US <a href="https://coinmarketcap.com/academy/glossary/spot-trading" rel="noopener noreferrer">spot</a> XRP ETFs <a href="https://www.coindesk.com/markets/2026/09/02/xrp-etfs-pull-in-usd160-million-over-nine-days-as-goldman-tops-institutional-holders" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">attracted</a> more than $1.4 billion within six weeks of their November 2025 launch and $1.68 billion through Sept. 1. Bloomberg Intelligence <a href="https://www.coindesk.com/markets/2026/03/10/solana-etfs-find-institutional-backing-while-xrp-funds-depend-more-on-retail" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">said</a> retail investors likely comprised the majority of buyers.“This is really impressive given these launched into a brutal 45% drawdown,” Bloomberg Intelligence analyst Eric Balchunas<a href="https://x.com/EricBalchunas/status/2031389041459876316" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow"> wrote</a> on X.<img src="https://academy-public.coinmarketcap.com/optimized-uploads/4c6ca05bc9234c438cef0872a4ecfe6f.png">XRP ETFs clocked strong performance post-launch. Source: <a href="https://x.com/EricBalchunas/status/2031389041459876316" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">Eric Balchunas/X&nbsp;</a>US spot SOL ETFs <a href="https://farside.co.uk/sol/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">recorded</a> $1.31 billion in cumulative net inflows through Sept. 1. That included $449.3 million in seed capital, meaning about $862 million was added after trading began.Demand for LINK and AVAX has been weaker. The first US ETFs for both launched in January. By Aug. 31, LINK ETFs had <a href="https://m.sosovalue.com/assets/etf/us-link-spot" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">attracted</a> $146.4 million in net inflows, while the three AVAX funds <a href="https://m.sosovalue.com/assets/etf/us-avax-spot" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">held</a> $36.7 million in combined assets.“Whether this was just a slow start or a reality check for other altcoin ETFs remained to be seen,” AMBCrypto analyst Benjamin Njiri<a href="https://ambcrypto.com/zero-inflows-weak-demand-did-vanecks-avax-etf-debut-fall-flat/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow"> wrote</a>.<blockquote>Related Article: <a href="https://coinmarketcap.com/academy/article/wintermute-report-institutions-tighten-altcoin-market" rel="noopener noreferrer">Wintermute Data Shows Institutional Grip Tightening on Altcoin Market</a></blockquote><h2 id="altcoin-demand-remains-concentrated">Altcoin Demand Remains Concentrated</h2>The uneven fund flows reflect a broader market still dominated by Bitcoin.CoinMarketCap’s<a href="https://coinmarketcap.com/charts/altcoin-season-index/" rel="noopener noreferrer"> Altcoin Season Index</a> stood at 26 out of 100 on Sept. 1, placing the market firmly in <a href="https://coinmarketcap.com/academy/glossary/dominance" rel="noopener noreferrer">Bitcoin</a> Season.Schwab’s rollout will widen direct access to LINK and AVAX, though the tokens are not yet available on its platform.For now, broader access has not produced broader altcoin demand.“In the end, investors will decide which products make sense and which don’t,” NovaDius Wealth Management President Nate Geraci<a href="https://www.coindesk.com/markets/2025/08/29/crypto-etf-surge-could-reshape-market-but-many-products-may-fail" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow"> told</a> CoinDesk.

Wall Street Is Opening the Altcoin Floodgates — Will Investors Follow?

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