Charles Schwab CEO optimistic about BTC prospects: Quantitative easing may drive growth in 2026

Charles Schwab CEO Rick Wurster recently expressed optimism about Bitcoin’s performance in 2026, believing that despite recent market downturns, macro factors such as quantitative easing policies, the Federal Reserve’s bond purchase programs, and weak demand for US government bonds will create an increasingly favorable environment for Bitcoin. This not only reflects a shift in traditional financial institutions’ attitudes toward crypto assets but also suggests that macro policy environments could become key variables driving Bitcoin’s upward movement.

The Logic Behind Institutional Optimism

Macro Policy Support

The three major favorable factors highlighted by Rick Wurster are worth noting:

• Quantitative Easing Policies: Loose monetary policies typically increase market liquidity, and historically, such environments tend to boost risk asset prices
• Federal Reserve Bond Purchase Programs: Directly injecting liquidity into the market, potentially increasing demand for risk assets including cryptocurrencies
• Weak Demand for US Government Bonds: May prompt investors to seek alternative assets, increasing Bitcoin’s appeal as “digital gold”

The combination of these factors logically creates a relatively friendly environment for risk assets.

Charles Schwab Accelerates Crypto Expansion

Charles Schwab not only expresses optimism about Bitcoin but is also actively advancing its cryptocurrency business:

• Supports the purchase of Solana and Micro Solana futures products
• Plans to launch spot cryptocurrency trading services in the first half of 2026

This indicates that traditional financial institutions are accelerating their expansion into the crypto space, with their futures and spot offerings demonstrating a serious commitment to this market.

The Gap Between Reality and Expectations

According to the latest data, Bitcoin’s current market performance shows some divergence from optimistic expectations:

From the data, although Bitcoin remains the dominant leader in the crypto market, it has recently been in a correction phase. The decline in trading volume also reflects a cooling market sentiment.

Policy Expectations and Market Reactions

Charles Schwab’s optimistic statement reflects an important trend: traditional financial institutions are beginning to interpret the value of crypto assets from a macro policy perspective. This shift in narrative is significant because it broadens Bitcoin’s investment logic from purely technological innovation and community consensus to include macroeconomic cycles.

In my personal view, the value of such institutional statements lies in their indication that traditional finance’s recognition of crypto assets is increasing, rather than in their predictions being necessarily accurate. Historically, similar policy expectations often take time to translate into actual market actions.

Key Areas to Watch

• Actual macro policy developments: Whether quantitative easing will truly be implemented, and the Federal Reserve’s specific timeline for actions
• Progress of institutional entry: The rollout of Schwab’s spot trading services and other traditional financial institutions’ follow-up
• Market sentiment recovery: When the market will become active again amid declining trading volumes
• Bitcoin’s supply pressure: With 95.1% of Bitcoin already in circulation, whether supply constraints can support prices

Summary

The core logic behind Schwab CEO’s optimistic outlook is that macro policy improvements will benefit Bitcoin. This reflects a deepening recognition of crypto assets by traditional finance, supported by their expansion from futures to spot trading. However, based on current data, the market still awaits concrete policy signals and a recovery in market sentiment. The launch of spot trading services in the first half of 2026 could serve as an important window to observe the pace of traditional financial institutions’ entry.