IBKR expands crypto trading in Europe while U.S. pushes 401(k) crypto access

Individual investors in the European Economic Area can now purchase and sell cryptocurrencies using the same account they use for stocks and bonds, thanks to Interactive Brokers. 

Through its Irish subsidiary, Interactive Brokers Ireland Limited, which has permission as a crypto-asset service provider throughout the EEA, the brokerage, which is listed on Nasdaq under the ticker IBKR, confirmed the launch.

Approximately 450 million individuals in the area are the goal of the move; up until now, they had to manage different apps and platforms in order to hold both traditional and digital investments.

Eleven cryptocurrencies are available at launch: Bitcoin, Ethereum, Litecoin, Bitcoin Cash, Chainlink, Solana, Cardano, Ripple, Dogecoin, Avalanche, and Sui.

The service runs through a backend partnership with zerohash, a crypto infrastructure firm. Edward Woodford, zerohash’s founder and chief executive, called the expansion a broadening of an existing global partnership.

“We are pleased to be broadening our global collaboration to now include customers from the EEA,” he said.

The entire portfolio, including cryptocurrency, stocks, options, futures, currencies, bonds, and mutual funds, may be accessed with a single login. Trading occurs seven days a week, twenty-four hours a day.

With a minimum fee of $1.75 per order, fees range from 0.12% to 0.18% of the trade value. According to the company, there are no markups, custody costs, or hidden spreads.

In response to customer requests, Interactive Brokers CEO Milan Galik announced the launch. “Our clients want the flexibility to diversify into crypto-assets while maintaining the tools, pricing, and trust they rely on Interactive Brokers for,” he said.

The ability to manage risk and capital for both asset types from a single screen was the primary selling feature.

Low costs and in-kind transfers

This announcement comes after IBKR recently released a technology that lets users move cryptocurrency directly into accounts linked to their Interactive Brokers brokerage from external wallets or other platforms.

An investor would have had to liquidate their holdings prior to switching from a solo bitcoin wallet to a full-service brokerage, which could have resulted in transaction charges and tax issues.

The new in-kind transfer option removes that step for supported currencies like Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Solana.

Interactive Brokers now provides customers with a single view of their whole portfolio, including stocks, bonds, options, futures, and digital assets, by integrating cryptocurrency trading with its current platform.

This allows for more effective risk and liquidity management across both traditional and crypto holdings.

This push toward seamless crypto integration for retail investors is now finding echoes in institutional channels, as growing demand for unified traditional and crypto exposure is increasingly mirrored by regulatory shifts in the world’s largest retirement market.

A similar change is taking place on the other side of the Atlantic.

The Trump administration’s U.S. Department of Labor published a proposal on Monday that would let workplace retirement plans to incorporate investments in private equity, cryptocurrency, and other assets beyond the conventional mix of stocks and bonds.

An estimated 721,000 retirement plans with over $8.8 trillion in total assets and 118 million workers will be affected by the change.

The proposal was supported by U.S. Secretary of Labor Lori Chavez-DeRemer, who stated that it would allow plans to reflect the current state of the investing landscape and provide a “major win for American workers, retirees, and their families.”

Supporters of the plan argue that private funds have historically outperformed public markets over the long run.

Critics immediately replied. Senator Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts claims that the measure would expose retirement funds to hazardous assets.

“Americans facing an uncertain future in Trump’s economy will now have more reasons to question the security of their retirement savings,” she stated.

This most recent growth, together with the increasing institutional adoption of cryptocurrency, strengthens Interactive Brokers’ standing as a pioneer in the global integration of digital assets and traditional finance.