By Interactive Brokers has launched Ethereum staking for eligible U.S. clients, moving its digital-asset offering beyond trading and transfers into crypto yield as traditional brokerage platforms compete to keep more investor assets inside a single account.Eligible Interactive Brokers LLC clients can now stake ETH through a dedicated dashboard in the broker’s Client Portal. Crypto infrastructure provider zerohash handles the staking service, while customers can submit stake and unstake requests and monitor pending activity without leaving the Interactive Brokers platform.
Rewards, when earned, are credited as additional staked ETH, allowing them to compound while the position remains staked. Interactive Brokers has not announced support for additional staking assets at launch.
“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,” CEO Milan Galik said. “We want clients to earn more from the assets they hold.”
Why Is Interactive Brokers Adding Staking Now?
The launch completes a rollout that had been in development for months. Zerohash announced its Staking-as-a-Service infrastructure in June and named Interactive Brokers, Public and BitMart as its initial partners. The infrastructure lets financial institutions offer staking without directly operating validators or building the blockchain accounting systems required to distribute rewards.
Zerohash’s institutional staking service handles validator infrastructure, staking operations, rewards accounting and compliance while the brokerage controls the customer-facing experience.
That division of responsibilities fits Interactive Brokers’ broader crypto model. The broker has generally relied on regulated infrastructure providers such as zerohash and Paxos for digital-asset execution and custody rather than building a vertically integrated crypto exchange.
Investor Takeaway
Staking turns ETH from a tradable asset into a yield-producing position inside the same brokerage account investors use for traditional markets.
What Are the Risks Behind the ETH Rewards?
Staking differs materially from earning interest on cash or lending securities. Ethereum rewards are generated through participation in the network’s proof-of-stake validation process and are not guaranteed.
Zerohash’s customer agreement says staking rewards can vary with network conditions and that past rewards are not necessarily indicative of future returns. Technical failures or validator penalties can also reduce rewards or, in some circumstances, expose staked assets to slashing.
Liquidity is another consideration. Customers may request to unstake assets, but zerohash warns that completion can take from several hours to several weeks depending on the blockchain and network conditions. ETH prices can therefore move substantially before an unstaking request is completed.
Staked digital-asset balances also do not receive FDIC deposit insurance or SIPC protection, according to zerohash’s disclosures.
How Far Has Interactive Brokers Moved Into Crypto?
The staking launch is the latest step in a digital-asset expansion that began with crypto trading in 2021. Interactive Brokers now supports 20 cryptocurrencies, including Bitcoin, Ethereum, Solana, XRP, Cardano and Dogecoin.
The company substantially widened that lineup earlier this year, including nine additional tokens and two-way stablecoin transfers. Clients can also transfer supported cryptocurrencies between the brokerage environment and external custodial or self-custody wallets.
Interactive Brokers has additionally built stablecoins into its cash-management infrastructure. The broker introduced 24/7 stablecoin account funding in January, initially using USDC, and now supports USDC, RLUSD and PYUSD for eligible funding and transfer activity.
Investor Takeaway
The competitive battle is moving beyond crypto access toward keeping trading, transfers, custody and yield inside one traditional brokerage relationship.
Are Traditional Financial Firms Moving Toward Staking?
Interactive Brokers is not alone in testing how staking fits into mainstream wealth management. Morgan Stanley has applied for a national trust bank charter that could support digital-asset custody, trading and staking services for investment clients.
Morgan Stanley’s proposed crypto trust operation represents a different regulatory route, but the commercial objective is similar: allowing clients to hold digital assets and use blockchain-native features without moving their portfolios to a standalone crypto exchange.
For Interactive Brokers, ETH staking deepens that integration. The company already gives investors access to crypto alongside stocks, options, futures, bonds, funds and prediction markets. Staking adds another feature that historically required a crypto-native platform or direct interaction with blockchain infrastructure.
The next competitive question is whether Interactive Brokers expands staking beyond Ethereum. Zerohash has previously identified Solana as another asset planned for its staking infrastructure, but Interactive Brokers has not announced when, or whether, additional staking assets will become available to its clients.