Why More FX Brokers Will Go Crypto-First by 2026

In 2025, crypto is no longer an experiment for brokerages. It has institutional scale, retail reach, and 24/7 liquidity.

As of 2025, Coinbase reported $400 billion in Assets on Platform, including $235.4 billion in Bitcoin and $54.2 billion in Ether. Annual MTUs were 8.4 million, net revenue was $6.293 billion, and net income was $2.579 billion. These do not define every venue’s economics, but they prove crypto can support real businesses at scale.

Why Crypto-First Works

Research etimates the market at $5.15 billion in 2023 and projects $11.71 billion by 2030, which implies roughly a 12 to 13% CAGR. That growth supports broader product breadth, more active funding flows via stablecoins, and a larger pool of retail and institutional users who expect 24/7 markets. Crypto-first is both a product strategy and a funding rail. Set crypto as the default for signup, deposits, and day-to-day activity while you continue to offer FX, commodities, indices, and equities. That adds a new entry point without giving up what already performs.

With stablecoins, money moves in minutes, which cuts time to first trade. Because markets run 24/7, clients stay active when FX is closed. Where licensing allows, derivatives widen product breadth and add fee lines. For the same client base and activity, profit can land around $50 to $100M in a traditional FX book versus about 4-5x more for every $1 million with crypto added at scale. Taken together, these results show what’s possible when digital assets are at the center of a platform strategy

What You Need to Succeed

If you want to be part of the growth, know that crypto-first is an infrastructure commitment. You need custody, order routing, market data, risk engines, surveillance, KYC and AML, and reporting that run around the clock. Each piece has to perform together, not in isolation.

Security and compliance decide survivability. Keep most assets in cold storage, keep hot wallets small, test recovery paths, and operate only where you have clear permissions. Treat product breadth, fair fees, and transparent operations as risk controls, not marketing.

A licensed white-label platform reduces lift and shortens time to launch. You get pre-integrated liquidity, vetted custody and on-ramps, KYC and AML workflows, admin controls, audit trails, and 24/7 operations support. That shifts operational risk to a specialist and lets your team focus on growth instead of building plumbing.

Breaking Into Crypto From FX

Start from what you already do well. Keep your FX book, add crypto where it lifts activation, retention, and fee capture. Focus on speed without cutting corners. License a platform, map your permissions, and ship a thin but complete first release.

1. Foundation: Onboarding, Funding, and Custody

Enable compliant KYC and AML, turn on stablecoin deposits and withdrawals, and keep hot-wallet exposure low with institutional custody. Prepare for SOC 2 so enterprise checks are smooth.

2. Launch Core Spot Markets

Go live with pre-integrated liquidity and smart routing so books hold under stress. Add surveillance and clear listing and delisting rules you will enforce.

3. Extend With Licensed Derivatives

Introduce derivatives only where licensed, with margin and liquidation logic tested under volatility. Monitor continuously so the product operates safely and supports growth.

The Shift Markets View

Crypto-first gives FX brokers 24/7 client access, faster funding via stablecoins, new fee and yield layers, a staged path to launch, and clear metrics to track, as long as security and compliance are handled at exchange grade.

The fastest path is to license production-proven infrastructure, connect to deep liquidity, and stand up controls that auditors and partners recognize. We designed our platform to help brokers move crypto-first with licensed infrastructure, deep liquidity, and 24/7 operations support. If your team is planning this shift, let’s connect.