Charles Schwab opens BTC/ETH spot trading to 39 million customers, Alcoa enters deep negotiations with NYDIG regarding the sale of its New York smelting plant

According to BBX data, the bidirectional penetration of traditional financial institutions and industrial infrastructure into the crypto space has accelerated over the weekend, with the following core dynamics:

• The Charles Schwab Corporation (NYSE: $SCHW) officially launched the Schwab Crypto platform in phases on April 17, opening direct trading of btc-42">Bitcoin and Ethereum spot to 39 million active brokerage account customers through its Charles Schwab Premier Bank, SSB, with compliance custody and trade execution provided by Paxos, and a fee of 75 basis points per transaction; initially excluding New York and Louisiana. The company recorded earnings per share of $1.43 and revenue of $6.48 billion in Q1 2026, with total customer assets of approximately $12.22 trillion as of early 2026.

• Alcoa Corporation (NYSE: $AA) CEO Bill Oplinger confirmed in a Bloomberg interview on April 17 that the company is in deep negotiations with Bitcoin financial services company NYDIG regarding the sale of the Massena East smelter site in New York (1,300 acres, closed since 2014), which "should be completed by mid-year." The site is adjacent to the St. Lawrence River and can access hydroelectric resources provided by the New York Power Authority; NYDIG has been operating Bitcoin mining facilities there since 2024 and will gain full control of the infrastructure after the acquisition. The financial terms of the transaction have not been disclosed.