Context and Chronology

Today Public announced the addition of crypto trading to both Traditional IRA and Roth IRA account types, enabling members to hold digital assets inside tax-advantaged wrappers. The launch bundles crypto with existing equities and options capabilities so retirement portfolios can carry multiple asset classes in a single account. Leif Abraham, co-CEO and co-founder, framed the move as closing a gap between modern assets and long-term savings; Mr. Abraham said the change lets investors route retirement dollars into digital tokens without separate custodial setups. Public also introduced a financial incentive: a 1% match on annual IRA contributions and an uncapped 1% match on transfers and rollovers, designed to accelerate inflows from outside retirement accounts.

The product supports major layer-one tokens initially, specifically Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Solana, with a roadmap for additional listings. Account opening and fund movement routes point users to a single IRA onboarding flow rather than requiring third-party crypto-IRA custodians, lowering operational friction for retail savers. Public positions the feature as an integrated experience for long-term holders rather than short-term traders, emphasizing tax treatment differences between Traditional and Roth vehicles. Marketing will likely target rollover activity from workplace plans, given the stated uncapped match on rollovers and transfers.

This announcement sits inside a wider industry pattern: mainstream brokerages have been steadily folding crypto into retail product stacks while retirement planning tools race to offer tax-advantaged exposure. For custodians and specialist crypto-IRA providers, the shift increases competitive pressure by moving a distribution point upstream into consumer-facing platforms. At a systems level, the change widens the bridge between liquid crypto markets and long-duration retirement capital pools, with implications for custody demand, operational compliance, and tax reporting complexity.