<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Investment management firm Vanguard has implemented commission-free online trading for stocks and options. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Headquartered in Pennsylvania, the $6 trillion asset manager is already offering free trading for Vanguard mutual funds, Vanguard ETFs, and over 3,000 non-Vanguard mutual funds, according to a </span><a href="https://pressroom.vanguard.com/news/Press-Release-Vanguard-Expands-Commission-Free-Platform-Beyond-ETFs.html"><span style="font-weight: 400;">press statement on Thursday</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">This latest extension of its zero-fee trading platform came after a number of major brokers – including Charles Schwab, Fidelity Investment, TD Ameritrade Holding, and E*Trade Financial – slashed their trading fees in 2019. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Last year, Vanguard notably began investigating how blockchain could fit into its operations and potentially lower costs.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;"> In June 2019, the firm partnered with smart contracts platform Symbiont to </span><a href="https://www.theblockcrypto.com/post/25729/symbiont-brings-blockchain-to-index-data-gathering-with-plans-for-expansion"><span style="font-weight: 400;">automate its index data tracking</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">. In October, it <a href="https://www.theblockcrypto.com/linked/41947/vanguard-begins-testing-blockchain-technology-for-fx-trading">announced the testing</a> of a near peer-to-peer foreign exchange trading platform to reduce the cost of investing. </span></p>