Interactive Brokers opens up stablecoin deposit channels, USDC 24/7 recharge leads industry transformation

Interactive Brokers announces support for clients to use Circle’s USDC for 24/7 funding of their brokerage accounts. This service is technically supported by Zerohash, a B2B crypto infrastructure provider invested in by Interactive Brokers. Users can send USDC from their personal crypto wallets to Zerohash’s secure wallets generated on the Ethereum, Solana, or Base networks, and these tokens will be automatically converted into USD and deposited into their brokerage accounts.

Core Service

Interactive Brokers’ launch of the USDC 24/7 account funding service marks a significant step forward in traditional brokerages integrating crypto assets. The global leading discount broker, with a market cap of approximately $110 billion, is changing the way funds enter traditional trading accounts.

Unlike traditional wire transfers that depend on bank business hours, this new feature allows investors to deposit funds 24/7, breaking time restrictions. Milan Galik, CEO of Interactive Brokers, explicitly stated: “Stablecoins offer a faster, lower-cost, and globally accessible alternative to traditional wire transfers.”

Operational Mechanism

The actual process of this service is relatively simple. Users send USDC from their personal crypto wallets to the secure wallet address provided by Zerohash, supporting Ethereum, Solana, and Base networks. The system automatically converts USDC into USD upon receipt and deposits it into the user’s Interactive Brokers brokerage account. The entire process aims to enable quick fund availability, allowing clients to start trading promptly.

Regarding fees, each deposit incurs a 0.30% conversion fee, with a minimum of $1. Additionally, users are responsible for standard blockchain network transaction fees when sending USDC. Interactive Brokers itself does not charge deposit fees.

Upcoming Options

Interactive Brokers plans to expand supported stablecoins as early as next week, adding Ripple’s RLUSD and PayPal’s PYUSD. RLUSD is a stablecoin backed by fiat reserves issued by Ripple, while PYUSD is a stablecoin issued by PayPal, pegged 1:1 to the USD.

This expansion indicates that Interactive Brokers is committed to offering more diverse stablecoin options to meet different customer preferences and needs. It also aligns with the company’s overall strategy to develop more trading options linked to stablecoins.

Market Data and Performance

According to Gate market data, as of January 16, 2026, the major stablecoins involved show significant differences in market performance:

From market data, USDC remains the dominant stablecoin in terms of trading volume and market cap; RLUSD has grown rapidly since its launch in December 2024, leveraging regulatory compliance and multi-chain deployment, with a market cap surpassing approximately $1.3 billion, becoming a key competitor in the stablecoin market. In contrast, PYUSD, although integrated into a mature payment platform, has a smaller market cap than RLUSD.

Strategic Context

The launch of stablecoin deposit services by Interactive Brokers is not an isolated event but part of its ongoing strategy in digital assets. The company entered the digital asset market as early as late 2021, initially partnering with regulated blockchain infrastructure provider Paxos to offer trading and custody of major cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin and Ethereum.

In July 2025, Thomas Peterffy, founder of Interactive Brokers, revealed that the company was exploring issuing its own stablecoin. Although this plan has not been finalized, it demonstrates the company’s deepening involvement in the crypto industry. Peterffy stated that Interactive Brokers aims to “enable instant, 24/7 stablecoin deposits into brokerage accounts and support asset transfers of common traded cryptocurrencies.”

Interactive Brokers views cryptocurrencies as a hedge against potential market disruptions. While actively expanding crypto-related services, the company also introduces innovative products like ForecastEx, a prediction market, to strategically hedge potential risks to its traditional and crypto businesses.

Industry Trends and Impact

Interactive Brokers’ move reflects a broader trend of traditional financial institutions accelerating their embrace of cryptocurrencies. As stablecoins increasingly demonstrate advantages in cross-border payments, fund transfers, and settlement, more traditional financial firms are exploring integration of these digital assets.

Similar to Interactive Brokers, its competitor Robinhood launched a global USD network last year centered around USDG, a stablecoin issued by Paxos. This competitive landscape highlights how large retail platforms are racing to embed core brokerage services within stablecoin frameworks.

This new service particularly benefits international investors. Traditional cross-border wire transfers often take days and are limited by banking hours, whereas stablecoin transfers can typically be completed within minutes. Stablecoins are reshaping global capital flows, and Interactive Brokers’ new service is a microcosm of this transformation. With RLUSD and PYUSD soon to be supported, this traditional broker is building a more diversified digital asset gateway. This development may prompt more traditional financial institutions to reassess their stance on crypto assets and accelerate the integration of traditional finance with decentralized finance.

Market Response and Outlook

Interactive Brokers’ stock price has risen approximately 48% this year, significantly outperforming the industry index’s roughly 20% increase. As of the end of June 2025, the company’s client accounts had grown to about 3.87 million, a 32% increase year-over-year.

Market reactions to this new service will be closely watched. If stablecoin deposit features are widely adopted by clients, it could encourage more traditional financial institutions to launch similar services, further promoting stablecoin adoption and the integration of crypto with traditional finance.

For investors, it is now easier to access, hold, and transfer these stablecoins via platforms like Gate, then seamlessly transfer them into traditional brokerage accounts for broader investment opportunities. This enhanced interoperability could change many people’s approach to managing funds.

As Interactive Brokers plans to add support for RLUSD and PYUSD, the competitive landscape of stablecoins may shift. Different stablecoins might compete based on specific use cases and user groups. The financial world’s walls are being reshaped by code, and Interactive Brokers’ move may be just the first door opening from traditional finance into the crypto world.