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BeInCrypto just dropped its 2026 Institutional 100 longlist. Fifteen brokers made the cut.
These aren’t crypto-native shops. They’re established multi-asset platforms—some listed on Nasdaq and the London Stock Exchange, others Swiss banks with crypto licenses bolted on, a few US wealth managers finally offering spot tokens. The category sits inside the Retail to Crypto Bridge pillar and tracks firms active between April 2025 and March 2026. The shortlist comes out this month. Winners get announced at Proof of Talk in Paris next month.
Who Made the List
Thirty-two firms entered the pool. Fifteen advanced to the longlist. Five more sit in what BeInCrypto calls the outreach pool, which probably means they didn’t submit enough data or missed a deadline. The evaluation uses Track B methodology: 30% hard numbers, 50% Expert Council opinions, 20% company disclosures. Judges looked at crypto coverage, execution quality, cross-asset integration, regulatory compliance, and innovation. Data came from FCA, FINMA, and BaFin registers, audited filings, and private-market data platforms.
Interactive Brokers runs 2.5 million accounts. The firm expanded crypto access globally and added crypto transfers in March 2026. That’s a big deal for clients who want to move tokens off-platform instead of just trading them inside a walled garden. IG Group, with 820,000 clients, was the first UK-listed broker to register crypto assets with the FCA. Swissquote has a FINMA license and offers over 50 cryptocurrencies. They also integrated staking options, which means clients can earn yield on holdings without leaving the platform.
Saxo Bank went the ETP route. They offer crypto exchange-traded products and FX pairs. Charles Schwab plans to launch spot BTC and ETH trading in Q2 2026—so basically any day now. Schwab manages roughly $12 trillion in client assets. That’s not a typo. If even a tiny slice of that money flows into spot crypto, it’ll move markets. Fidelity Investments already offers a suite of crypto products alongside traditional asset management. Their Fidelity Digital Assets arm handles enterprise-level custody. Products include FBTC, FETH, and FSOL, plus IRA-eligible crypto products for retirement accounts.
flatexDEGIRO operates across 16 European countries. The firm launched spot crypto offerings in December 2024 and reported a fivefold increase in crypto volume. That hit €500 million in Q1 2026. Pretty wild growth for a firm that wasn’t even in crypto two years ago.
The Mid-Tier Players
Webull, headquartered in St. Petersburg, Florida, keeps crypto separate from its core brokerage. The company runs the Webull Pay app, which uses Bakkt on the back end. Pepperstone, a privately held firm in Melbourne, launched a dedicated spot crypto exchange in February 2026. They offer competitive fees and a broad range of crypto CFD pairs globally. OANDA integrated spot crypto trading through Paxos itBit. Clients can access eight major tokens. OANDA’s been an FX brokerage for years, so this marks a shift into digital assets.
Capital.com, operating out of Limassol, Cyprus, secured a MiCA CASP license in January 2026. That’s the new EU framework for crypto service providers. The firm offers an extensive lineup of crypto CFDs. Exness, also based in Cyprus, facilitates high-volume trading with a focus on BTC cross pairs. But those pairs are moving to close-only status in April 2026, which suggests regulatory pressure or a strategic pivot.
Plus500, with roots in Haifa, Israel, maintains broad crypto exposure through regulated CFD entities. The firm extends its reach into CFTC-regulated US markets, which isn’t easy. CMC Markets, based in London, offers crypto CFDs and holds a Bermuda digital asset license. The firm is developing what it calls a DeFi “super app” strategy. No details yet on what that means, but it sounds ambitious.
What Matters Here
The big story isn’t that crypto trading exists. It’s that traditional brokers are treating it like any other asset class. Interactive Brokers didn’t just add crypto trading. They added crypto transfers, which means they’re building infrastructure for custody and withdrawals. Schwab isn’t launching a side project—they’re launching spot trading for BTC and ETH on their main platform. Fidelity already runs IRA-eligible crypto products, which means retirement accounts can hold Bitcoin. That’s a generational shift.
flatexDEGIRO’s €500 million in Q1 2026 crypto volume came from a standing start in late 2024. The firm operates in 16 European countries, so that volume is spread across a lot of retail clients. Each one is probably trading small amounts, but the aggregate numbers add up fast. And these aren’t crypto natives. They’re traditional investors who already have accounts and decided to add a little BTC or ETH to their portfolios.
Capital.com’s MiCA CASP license matters because MiCA is the new regulatory standard in Europe. Firms that get licensed early have a competitive edge. They can offer services that unlicensed competitors can’t. CMC Markets’ DeFi super app strategy is interesting but vague. The firm hasn’t said what that means in practice. Maybe it’s a wallet with DeFi integrations. Maybe it’s something else. Unclear.
Saxo Bank serves over one million clients. The firm offers crypto ETPs for all clients and crypto FX pairs for elective professional clients. That’s a tiered approach—retail gets ETPs, pros get FX pairs. It’s a way to manage risk and compliance. Charles Schwab’s Schwab Crypto platform launches in Q2 2026. The firm manages about $12 trillion in client assets. Even if one-tenth of one percent flows into crypto, that’s $12 billion. The market will notice.
Fidelity combines retail trading with enterprise custody through Fidelity Digital Assets. The firm offers FBTC, FETH, and FSOL, plus IRA-eligible products. That means Fidelity is playing both sides—retail and institutional. They’re building infrastructure for custody, trading, and retirement accounts all at once. It’s a big bet that crypto is here to stay.
The shortlist drops this month. The winner gets announced at Proof of Talk in Paris on June 2-3, 2026. BeInCrypto hasn’t said what the winner gets besides recognition. But for firms trying to attract crypto clients, that recognition probably matters.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the BeInCrypto Institutional 100?
BeInCrypto’s Institutional 100 is an annual list that evaluates firms integrating cryptocurrency trading into broader financial platforms, focusing on innovation, regulatory compliance, and market impact.
When will the shortlist and winners be announced?
The shortlist will be released in May 2026, with the final winner announced at the Proof of Talk event in Paris on June 2-3, 2026.
Which firms made the longlist for the 2026 Institutional 100?
The longlist includes Interactive Brokers, IG Group, Swissquote, Saxo Bank, Charles Schwab, Fidelity Investments, flatexDEGIRO, Webull, Pepperstone, OANDA, Capital.com, Exness, Plus500, and CMC Markets, among others.
