US broker Interactive Brokers launched cryptocurrency staking for its eligible clients on Tuesday 13 October, starting with Ethereum. The service relies on ZeroHash, the infrastructure the platform already uses for its crypto offering, according to Journal du Coin, which draws on details published by Crypto Briefing.

The launch: Ethereum first

Staking is specific to proof-of-stake blockchains such as Ethereum: tokens are locked up to take part in validating transactions, and in return the network pays out rewards whose level depends on the protocol and how it operates. Nothing is fixed in advance.

At Interactive Brokers, eligible clients submit their stake and unstake requests from a dedicated dashboard in the Client Portal, which also displays pending operations. Rewards are paid out as additional tokens, which are added to the position already staked. The position therefore compounds for as long as it remains locked up.

Who actually runs the validators, and who holds the tokens while they are locked up? The source does not say, beyond the infrastructure role attributed to ZeroHash.

The terms: commission, timelines, eligibility

The cost is set out in the broker’s contractual documents. According to Journal du Coin, the supplement to the client agreement caps the combined fees of Interactive Brokers and ZeroHash at 30% of the rewards generated. The client therefore keeps at least 70% of the rewards. This is a cap: the source does not specify the rate actually charged.

On liquidity, the same document states that each proof-of-stake network sets its own rules and that withdrawals remain subject to the protocol’s waiting periods. On Ethereum, exiting a stake goes through queues that can lengthen depending on network load, Journal du Coin notes. The tokens are therefore not available at a moment’s notice: it is best to set one’s lock-up horizon before committing.

Then there is eligibility. The service targets eligible clients of Interactive Brokers LLC, the group’s US subsidiary, and availability varies by subsidiary and country of residence. The source does not specify whether clients residing in Switzerland are covered.

A partnership announced in June

Tuesday’s launch delivers on an older partnership. In June, ZeroHash unveiled its staking-as-a-service offering, aimed at brokers, banks and fintech platforms. Interactive Brokers was then among the launch partners, alongside Public and BitMart. Its CEO, Milan Galik, announced the intention to offer staking alongside existing products.

The broker also expanded its crypto catalogue in July: nine tokens added via ZeroHash and three via Paxos, for a total of 20 assets, including bitcoin, ether, Solana (SOL) and XRP. It had previously connected its deposits to USDC, available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Solana staking was mentioned as the next step as early as the ZeroHash announcement, with no timeline specified by the source.

Questions to ask before staking

The source mentions no comparable offering from regulated players in Switzerland and says nothing about clients domiciled here. For a Swiss investor, the first check is to identify the group entity with which their account is opened, then to review the terms that apply to it. Whatever the provider, a few points are worth clarifying:

  • who runs the validators and who holds the tokens during staking;
  • what share of the rewards is retained by the provider and its partners;
  • what exit period applies depending on the network concerned;
  • which networks and which assets are actually open to staking.

For Journal du Coin, Interactive Brokers thus joins the cohort of traditional finance players setting up on crypto rails. It remains to be seen whether wealth managers will follow, or whether staking will remain a niche exercise among brokers.

Sources

  • Journal du Coin, “Ethereum staking: Interactive Brokers opens the service to its eligible clients via ZeroHash”, 13 October 2026