Which broker allowed BTC ETFs?

TLDR

Vanguard will allow clients to trade Bitcoin (BTC) ETFs on its brokerage platform, reversing its prior ban on crypto products per a recent report on the brokers policy change.

1. Vanguards shift opens ETF access for over 50 million brokerage clients, including crypto-linked funds that meet regulatory standards per a market update.
2. Bank of Americas wealth unit will cover four spot Bitcoin ETFs from 5 Jan, enabling advisor recommendations per a coverage announcement.

Deep Dive

1. Vanguards Reversal

The key development is Vanguards decision to allow ETFs and mutual funds that primarily hold cryptocurrencies (including Bitcoin) to trade on its platform, a clear reversal from its previous stance that excluded crypto ETFs due to volatility concerns. This expansion of access was confirmed in a brokerage policy report.

Vanguards brokerage scale matters: more than 50 million clients and over $11 trillion in assets are now able to access regulated crypto wrappers that meet the firms standards, signaling broader mainstream acceptance, as highlighted in a market update.

2. What Clients Can Trade

Vanguards platform will list third?party ETFs and mutual funds that pass regulatory and internal criteria, aligning crypto ETFs with other non?core asset classes like gold. The change explicitly includes Bitcoin and select other crypto ETFs, per the brokerage policy report.

The firm will not launch its own crypto products and will exclude funds that fail regulatory thresholds. This careful scope is consistent with the operational maturity and liquidity evidence cited by Vanguards brokerage leadership in the report above.

3. Broader Adoption Signal

Separately, Bank of Americas wealth division will begin formal coverage of four spot Bitcoin ETFs (Bitwise, Fidelity, Grayscale Mini Trust, and BlackRock IBIT) from 5 Jan, enabling advisors to recommend crypto exposure with defined allocation parameters, per a coverage announcement.

This complements Vanguards access change and indicates a wider trend: large financial institutions are codifying crypto ETF access for mainstream portfolios, as also discussed in a related market update.

Conclusion

Answer: Vanguard is the broker that allowed Bitcoin ETFs on its platform, marking a notable policy shift in traditional finance. Paired with Bank of Americas upcoming ETF coverage, these moves expand regulated access and signal growing mainstream integration of Bitcoin exposure through standard brokerage and advisory channels.