Vanguard Opens BTC, ETH, XRP, SOL ETF Trading to 50 Million Clients

Highlights:

• Vanguard will let 50 million clients trade crypto ETFs and mutual funds safely.
• Bitcoin, Ether, XRP, and Solana funds will follow clear regulatory and trading rules.
• This step could introduce many traditional investors to regulated cryptocurrency exposure for the first time.

Vanguard Group will begin allowing cryptocurrency ETFs and mutual funds to trade on its brokerage platform starting Tuesday, Bloomberg reported. The company, known as the world’s second-largest asset manager, will let its more than 50 million brokerage customers trade funds holding Bitcoin, Ether, XRP, and Solana. These clients together oversee more than $11 trillion. Such volume gives the update a far-reaching influence across both retail account holders and institutional planners who use Vanguard systems.

According to Bloomberg, Vanguard will begin allowing ETFs and mutual funds that primarily hold Bitcoin, Ether, XRP, Solana, and other cryptocurrencies to trade on its platform starting December 2, 2025, ending its long-standing stance against supporting crypto products. Vanguard…

— Wu Blockchain (@WuBlockchain) December 1, 2025

The change represents a major shift for Vanguard, which had repeatedly argued that crypto was too unstable and too speculative for long-term investment plans. In November 2021, Vanguard Australia wrote an article called ‘Cryptocurrencies and Vanguard: what we think,’ calling crypto risky. The firm said cryptocurrencies are highly speculative and weak for long-term investment. Investors should follow long-term principles and avoid reacting to short-term market changes.

Vanguard Sets Clear Rules for Allowed Crypto Funds

Andrew Kadjeski, the head of brokerage and investments at Vanguard, said that cryptocurrency exchange-traded funds and mutual funds have been tested during market volatility. He said they performed as expected and stayed liquid. His comments showed a softer tone after long internal hesitation about digital assets.

Kadjeski also said that the administrative systems for these funds have improved. He added that investor preferences are also changing. His statements showed that Vanguard’s systems and client demand are now strong enough to support this access without heavy pressure on services.

Vanguard said crypto ETFs and mutual funds offered through the brokerage platform would follow the same procedures used for gold-related or niche financial products. Anything meeting regulatory requirements will be allowed, while memecoin-based funds identified by the Securities and Exchange Commission will not appear on the lineup.

The firm also clarified that it will not launch its own crypto offerings. Kadjeski said, “Vanguard has no plans to launch its own crypto products, we serve millions of investors that have diverse needs and risk profiles, and we aim to provide a brokerage trading platform that gives our brokerage clients the ability to invest in products they choose.”

Crypto ETFs Could Bring Traditional Investors Into Regulated Digital Assets

Allowing crypto exchange-traded fund access on such a large platform could bring many traditional investors into regulated digital-asset exposure for the first time. These investors previously avoided using crypto exchanges. Crypto exchange-traded funds entered the United States slowly after the January last year approval for spot Bitcoin products. Spot Ether exchange-traded funds arrived six months later. The pace increased later in the year when regulated funds for XRP, Solana, Dogecoin, and Litecoin also launched.

The shift came about a year after Salim Ramji became CEO. He was previously linked with BlackRock and was known for supporting crypto-based products. His arrival happened at a time when digital-asset exchange-traded funds were growing quickly. BlackRock’s Bitcoin ETF, IBIT, showed that demand can stay strong even when markets move sharply. IBIT recently held more than $70 billion in assets. It had touched around $100 billion before Bitcoin’s price dropped in the latest downturn.

Analysts said approval activity increased in recent months. Bloomberg’s Eric Balchunas said last week that more than 100 new crypto exchange-traded funds could launch in the next six months. In October, filings crossed 150 products covering 35 different digital assets.

There are 5 spot crypto ETFs launching over next 6 days. Beyond that we don't have exact but we expect a steady supply of them (likely over 100 in next six months). Nice chart showing what's launched and what's on deck from @JSeyff pic.twitter.com/eArnDUN5JH

— Eric Balchunas (@EricBalchunas) November 24, 2025