Interactive Brokers Launches Crypto Trading for European Clients

Interactive Brokers expands crypto services to the EEA, allowing investors to trade Bitcoin, Ethereum, and XRP alongside traditional assets via Zero Hash.

American brokerage Interactive Brokers has expanded its digital asset services to the European Economic Area (EEA), allowing individual investors to trade cryptocurrencies directly through their existing platform. The service is offered through Interactive Brokers Ireland and has been implemented in partnership with infrastructure provider Zero Hash.

The new offering includes 11 of the most traded cryptocurrencies, including Bitcoin, Ethereum, Solana, Cardano, and XRP. Clients can access these assets through the company’s established interfaces—including Trader Workstation, IBKR Mobile, and GlobalTrader—without the need to use separate crypto applications.

A Unified Platform for Traditional and Digital Assets

Interactive Brokers’ strategy focuses on integration rather than isolating crypto trading. Investors can now manage stocks, bonds, derivatives, and cryptocurrencies in one place, allowing for better control over risk, liquidity, and capital allocation.

CEO Milan Galik emphasized that clients are looking for exactly this flexibility—the ability to diversify their portfolios without sacrificing the convenience and security of an established platform.

Furthermore, the company highlights cost transparency, with commissions ranging from 0.12% to 0.18% of the trade value, featuring no hidden fees, spreads, or additional storage costs.

Competing with Crypto-Native Platforms

With this move, Interactive Brokers directly competes with traditional crypto exchanges, offering an alternative for investors who prefer a regulated environment and integrated portfolio management.

Many European investors have previously faced a fragmented experience—using different apps, dealing with unclear fees, and facing security concerns. This new model aims to remove these barriers by uniting services within a single ecosystem.

The partnership with Zero Hash, a regulated digital asset infrastructure provider, allows the broker to offer crypto trading without building its own blockchain infrastructure while maintaining high compliance standards.

Outlook: The Push Toward Institutionalization

The expansion of Interactive Brokers comes as the crypto market steadily integrates into the traditional financial system. Providing crypto assets through established brokerage platforms serves as another signal of the sector’s ongoing institutionalization.

With access to approximately 450 million users in the EEA, the move has the potential to significantly increase the participation of European investors in the crypto market, particularly among those who have previously avoided direct exposure via crypto exchanges.

Ultimately, competition between traditional financial institutions and crypto platforms is intensifying, as the line between the two ecosystems continues to blur.

In a context of uncertainty and market volatility, choosing a secure crypto wallet remains vital for investors. For a more detailed analysis of solutions and asset protection, see the article “The Best Crypto Wallets for 2026,” which examines various options based on security, convenience, and functionality.