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Interactive Brokers has launched cryptocurrency staking for eligible clients, starting with Ethereum, the Nasdaq-listed broker announced on Tuesday. The service is provided by zerohash, one of the firm's two crypto infrastructure partners alongside Paxos.
At launch, clients of Interactive Brokers LLC can stake ETH through a new Staking Dashboard in the Client Portal, where they can submit stake and unstake requests and track pending activity. Rewards are credited as additional staked ETH and compound for as long as the position remains staked. The company said product availability varies by affiliate and by client country of residence.
CEO Milan Galik framed the product as an extension of the firm's Stock Yield Enhancement Program, which pays clients a share of the income generated from lending out their fully paid shares. Staking gives clients a comparable way to earn on crypto they already hold, he said, adding: "We want clients to earn more from the assets they hold."
The comparison is a useful one for the broker's customer base, though the economics differ. Stock lending income depends on borrower demand for a particular share, while ETH staking rewards come from the network's issuance and transaction fees and carry protocol risks such as slashing and unbonding delays. The release did not disclose what share of rewards zerohash or Interactive Brokers will retain.
The regulatory path for brokers offering staking in the U.S. widened in May 2025, when the SEC's Division of Corporation Finance stated that protocol staking, including custodial staking arranged by a third party, does not involve the offer and sale of securities. The statement is staff guidance and does not carry the force of a Commission rule, but it removed the main legal obstacle that had kept many U.S. intermediaries away from the product.
Staking is the latest in a series of crypto additions Interactive Brokers has made this year. In January the firm enabled 24/7 account funding with stablecoins, in March it allowed clients to transfer in existing crypto holdings, and in July it added a dozen tokens through zerohash and Paxos and opened stablecoin transfers to external wallets. Clients can now trade 20 digital assets and fund accounts with USDC, RLUSD and PYUSD.
The broker continues to compete mainly on price. Crypto commissions start at 0.12% to 0.18% of trade value with a $1.75 minimum per order, and the company says it charges no added spreads, markups or custody fees. Whether staking extends beyond Ethereum to assets such as Solana, which it already lists for trading, will indicate how far the firm intends to push into yield products.
