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IRAS/FIDELITY CRYPTO IRA

Fidelity Crypto IRA Review (2026): Bitcoin Retirement Goes Mainstream

BY THE BITCOIN ALMANACK TEAM·UPDATED JUL 2026·9 MIN READ·● BTC {{ price }}·CONTAINS AFFILIATE LINKS
OUR VERDICT THE MAINSTREAM PICK 8.9/10
Fidelity now offers actual crypto — not just ETFs — inside an IRA: no account or custody fees, trades executed at a 1% spread, and coins held by Fidelity Digital Assets’ cold storage. For the millions who already trust Fidelity with retirement money, this is the lowest-friction on-ramp ever built. Bitcoin, ETH, and Litecoin only — which for our readers is a feature.
WHAT WE LIKED
+$0 account and custody fees; 1% trade spread
+Fidelity Digital Assets cold storage — custody since 2018
+Lives alongside your existing Fidelity accounts
+Short asset list keeps it bitcoin-focused
WHAT WE DIDN'T
−1% spread each way is real money on round trips
−Custodial; no self-custody path
−BTC/ETH/LTC only (if you wanted more)

What it costs

ITEMFEE
Account / custody fees$0
Trade execution1% spread
MinimumNone
AssetsBTC · ETH · LTC
RolloversSupported, free
Terms from fidelity.com, June 2026. Re-verify before publishing.

Why this product matters

When the largest retirement-account provider in America lets you hold actual bitcoin in an IRA, the "is this legitimate?" era is over. No new company to vet, no wire to an unfamiliar platform — the account sits next to your 401(k).

Spread vs fee

Fidelity prices trades inside a ~1% spread rather than an explicit commission — economically similar to iTrustCapital’s 1% fee for a buy-and-hold pattern. Trade rarely and the difference is negligible; trade actively and both are the wrong tool.

Coins or the ETF?

Fidelity will happily sell you FBTC in the same IRA at 0.25%/yr with no spread. Rough math: the crypto IRA’s one-time ~2% round trip beats the ETF’s recurring fee if you hold roughly 8+ years. Either way you never hold keys — it’s a wrapper choice, not a custody choice.
Use it if…
Your retirement money already lives at Fidelity and you want real coins, not fund shares.
Skip it if…
You want key ownership (Unchained) or altcoin breadth (Alto).

Common questions

Is this different from buying FBTC?

Yes — you own spot coins custodied by Fidelity Digital Assets rather than shares of a fund. Costs differ in shape: spread once vs expense ratio forever.

Who custodies the crypto?

Fidelity Digital Assets, the firm’s institutional arm, using predominantly cold storage — the same custody behind FBTC.

Roth or Traditional for bitcoin?

A question for a tax professional — but the asymmetric-upside argument for holding volatile assets in a Roth is commonly made. We explain the tradeoffs in our tax guide.
SCORE BREAKDOWN
Fees8.8
Custody model8.6
Ease of use9.6
Bitcoin focus8.4
Support9.2
Open account →
OFFICIAL SITE · SEE DISCLOSURE
ALTERNATIVES

Taxes first

Roth vs Traditional matters more than provider choice. Our tax guide covers the tradeoffs.
Read the tax guide →
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