Can you trade crypto on TD Ameritrade?

TD Ameritrade is an international Online Broker and Financial Services provider. Their platform allows you to trade stocks, bonds, CDs, Futures & Options, Forex, Mutual Funds, and ETFs. The company was founded in 1975 by Joe Ricketts. It was taken over by the Charles Schwab Corporation in 2020. It has around 9000 employees and is currently headquartered in Omaha, Nebraska. The company has over 175 branches across the United States.

TD Ameritrade’s trading platform is one of the most popular among traders. It’s no wonder that so many people want to know if they can trade crypto on TD Ameritrade.

Trading in Crypto on TD Ameritrade

Crypto is a technology-driven product that has become very popular in the last decade. It is based on Blockchain technology. Crypto assets and currencies have become especially popular in the last few years. Unlike regular currencies, which derive their value from the economic potential of a country or region, crypto-assets don’t have any intrinsic value, and they derive their value based on their demand and supply.

TD Ameritrade facilitates trading in conventional financial assets and does not currently offer a platform for trading in crypto.

Trading in Cryptocurrency Futures is allowed on TD Ameritrade.

While TD Ameritrade does not currently offer cryptocurrency, we do offer access to CME Group (CME) bitcoin futures and CME micro bitcoin futures, which allow qualified clients to tap into the bitcoin market without actually owning any bitcoin. 

tdameritrade.com

TD Ameritrade allows trading in Bitcoin futures, Micro Bitcoin futures, Ether futures, and Micro Ether futures. You cannot directly trade in Bitcoins or Ether on TD Ameritrade, but you can trade in their futures. Here are the details of the futures assets as available on TD Ameritrade’s website.

How to trade cryptocurrency futures?

1. Open a TD Ameritrade account if you do not have one already. After that, open a futures account with TD Ameritrade’s affiliate, Charles Schwab Futures, and Forex.
2. You must fulfill the eligibility criteria to make an account and trade futures. You must be futures approved and use a non-retirement account to trade cryptocurrencies. The Funds in your account must be fully cleared before trading in futures contracts.

Note: Charles Schwab Futures and Forex LLC was known as TD Ameritrade Futures & Forex LLC before September 2021.

Competitors

TD competes with other Online Brokers like Fidelity Investments, E-Trade, and Merrill Edge.

Key Takeaways

Anyone with a TD Ameritrade account can trade stocks, ETFs, Forex, and other financial instruments.

Can you trade crypto on TD Ameritrade? The answer is not a straightforward yes or no. You cannot buy or sell cryptocurrencies directly using the platform. TD Ameritrade is not currently offering those services to its customers. However, you can trade in Bitcoin and Ether futures contracts on this portal, just like the futures contracts for gold, corn, crude oil, etc. 

Also, check if you can trade fractional shares on TD Ameritrade.