Interactive Brokers Launches Crypto Staking: Earn Rewards on Ethereum via Unified Platform

Interactive Brokers has introduced cryptocurrency staking for its eligible clients, allowing them to earn rewards on digital assets directly within their existing brokerage accounts. By integrating Ethereum staking alongside traditional instruments like stocks and futures, the firm is bridging the gap between institutional-grade brokerage services and the decentralized finance ecosystem for multi-asset investors.

What was announced

The new staking service, powered by infrastructure provider Zero Hash, allows eligible Interactive Brokers LLC clients to participate in the Ethereum network’s consensus mechanism. Users can manage their positions via a dedicated Staking Dashboard within the IBKR Client Portal, which facilitates the submission of stake and unstake requests while providing real-time monitoring of pending activity. Rewards earned through the process are distributed as additional staked cryptocurrency, allowing for compounding returns as long as the assets remain staked.

This launch complements a broader suite of cryptocurrency services. Interactive Brokers currently supports trading for 20 digital assets, including Aave, Aptos, Avalanche, Bitcoin, Bitcoin Cash, Canton, Cardano, Chainlink, Dogecoin, Ethereum, Lido DAO, Litecoin, Monad, NEAR Protocol, Pax Gold, Plasma, Ripple, Solana, Sui and Uniswap. The firm highlights a cost-effective fee structure, with commissions ranging from 0.12% to 0.18% of trade value and a minimum of USD 1.75 per order, notably avoiding additional spreads, markups, or custody fees.

Furthermore, the platform supports stablecoin funding through USDC, RLUSD, and PYUSD, a feature rarely seen in traditional brokerage environments. This flexibility extends to asset transfers, enabling clients to move supported tokens between the IBKR platform and external custodial or non-custodial wallets. The integration ensures that digital assets are managed on a unified platform alongside bonds, funds, and prediction markets.

"Similar to how our Stock Yield Enhancement Program allows clients to earn additional income on shares they own, staking gives clients an opportunity to earn rewards on the cryptocurrency they own. We want clients to earn more from the assets they hold."

Milan Galik, Chief Executive Officer of Interactive Brokers.

The companies involved

Interactive Brokers (Nasdaq: IBKR) is a veteran of the automated global brokerage space, known for providing professional-grade trading technology to both individual investors and institutional clients. Headquartered in the United States, the firm has built a reputation for low-cost execution and a vast reach into global markets, offering access to stocks, options, futures, currencies, and bonds from a single unified account. Its platform often serves as the underlying engine for other financial institutions' white-labeled trading services, reflecting its position as a primary liquidity and technology provider in the capital markets.

The staking functionality is delivered in partnership with Zero Hash, a leading crypto-as-a-service infrastructure provider. Zero Hash specializes in handling the regulatory and technical complexities of digital asset integration, allowing traditional financial firms to offer crypto products without building the entire stack from scratch. Zero Hash has been aggressively expanding its global footprint, recently strengthening its European operations and headquarters in Amsterdam following MiCAR authorization. Together, these companies represent a significant intersection of legacy electronic trading and modern digital asset infrastructure, catering to a market that increasingly demands a consolidated view of all financial holdings.

What FF News has reported before

FF News has closely followed Interactive Brokers’ expansion into new markets and its role as a technology provider for global banking giants. Recently, the firm's infrastructure was highlighted when HSBC Launches WorldTrader in Qatar, a platform that leverages IBKR’s technology to offer access to 25 global markets via mobile. We also covered the broker's efforts to localize services and improve regional access, such as when Interactive Brokers Partners with Daol Investment & Securities to improve access to global equities in Korea, and its collaboration with Paysafe to simplify Latin American market access. Additionally, our reporting on Zero Hash expanding its European headquarters underscores the regulatory readiness of IBKR’s primary crypto infrastructure partner.

What this means

The move into staking by a major Nasdaq-listed broker signals the continued normalization of digital assets within the traditional wealth management stack. By treating Ethereum rewards similarly to stock lending yields, Interactive Brokers is stripping away the "alternative" label from crypto and positioning it as a standard yield-generating asset class. This puts significant pressure on pure-play crypto exchanges that have historically relied on high retail fees and wide staking spreads to maintain margins. As traditional brokers integrate these features with lower commissions and unified tax reporting, the industry faces a critical question: can specialized crypto platforms survive when the "everything app" for finance finally includes the blockchain?