Interactive Brokers (Nasdaq: IBKR), a major traditional electronic brokerage firm, has launched a new feature allowing traders to fund their accounts 24/7 using Circle's USDC stablecoin. The announcement was made on Thursday, January 15, 2026.
The integration, powered by crypto infrastructure provider Zerohash, enables clients to send USDC from personal wallets to a secure Zerohash wallet on supported networks—Ethereum, Solana, or Base. Once received, the USDC is automatically converted to U.S. dollars and credited to the brokerage account, facilitating near-instant trading outside traditional banking hours.
Interactive Brokers CEO Milan Galik stated, "Stablecoin funding provides international investors with the speed and flexibility required in today's markets. Clients can transfer funds and begin trading within minutes, while also reducing transaction costs." Zerohash charges a conversion fee of 0.30% per deposit, with a minimum fee of $1, plus standard blockchain network fees.
The firm plans to expand stablecoin options as early as next week, adding Ripple's RLUSD and PayPal's PYUSD. This follows the brokerage's initial rollout of USDC funding for retail investors in December 2025.
Interactive Brokers, founded in 1978, entered crypto in late 2021 through a partnership with Paxos, offering trading and custody for BTC, ETH, LTC, and BCH. It expanded support to include SOL, ADA, XRP, and DOGE in 2025. Reports from last year indicated the brokerage was considering launching its own native stablecoin.
Notably, Mastercard has been in talks to acquire Zerohash for up to $2 billion, though the current status of negotiations is unclear.
