- Morgan Stanley will offer Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Solana trading to retail clients through E-Trade in early 2026.
- The bank partnered with ZeroHash for crypto infrastructure and plans to build wallet services for client custody.
- This represents phase one of a broader strategy, including tokenized stocks, bonds, and real estate trading.
Investment banking giant Morgan Stanley announced plans to launch cryptocurrency trading services for retail clients through its E-Trade platform. The financial services company partnered with digital asset infrastructure provider ZeroHash to deliver these services in the first half of 2026.
The initiative marks another significant step by traditional financial institutions toward cryptocurrency adoption. Morgan Stanley joins other major banks exploring digital asset services as client demand grows across the financial sector.
Jed Finn, head of wealth management at Morgan Stanley, confirmed the company will initially support Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Solana trading. The selection represents three most established cryptocurrencies by market capitalization and trading volume.
Strategic Partnership Powers Crypto Expansion
ZeroHash will provide the technical infrastructure enabling Morgan Stanley’s cryptocurrency trading capabilities. The partnership leverages ZeroHash’s existing systems supporting major financial products, including BlackRock’s tokenized money market fund BUIDL.
Morgan Stanley invested in ZeroHash’s recent $104 million funding round, demonstrating a commitment to the partnership. ZeroHash specializes in cryptocurrency, stablecoin, and tokenization infrastructure for institutional clients.
The collaboration allows Morgan Stanley to offer digital asset trading without building proprietary cryptocurrency technology. This approach reduces development costs while accelerating the time to market the new services.
Finn described cryptocurrency trading as “phase one” of Morgan Stanley’s digital asset strategy. The company plans to develop a comprehensive wallet infrastructure enabling clients to direct custody of cryptocurrency holdings with the firm.
The wealth management executive emphasized plans to integrate traditional and cryptocurrency assets within a unified trading environment. This approach reflects changing client expectations for seamless access to both asset classes.
Morgan Stanley’s long-term vision extends beyond cryptocurrency trading to tokenized securities. The firm anticipates offering clients access to tokenized stocks, bonds, and real estate investments. Finn believes tokenization could “significantly disrupt the wealth management industry.”
The company manages approximately $1.7 trillion in client assets. Adding cryptocurrency custody services could substantially expand Morgan Stanley’s asset management capabilities and revenue streams.
Industry Trend Toward Digital Asset Integration
Morgan Stanley’s cryptocurrency initiative follows similar moves by other major financial institutions. JPMorgan partnered with Coinbase earlier this year to streamline cryptocurrency purchases for banking clients.
Traditional finance companies increasingly recognize cryptocurrency as a legitimate asset class requiring institutional-grade services. Regulatory clarity improvements have encouraged conservative financial firms to explore digital asset offerings.
Galaxy Digital has already begun tokenizing company shares, while Nasdaq filed proposals to enable tokenized stock trading on its platform. These developments signal growing acceptance of blockchain-based financial instruments.
Finn noted the company recognizes “immense power” in blockchain technology beyond cryptocurrency investments. Morgan Stanley views tokenization as transformative for traditional asset management and trading infrastructure.
Disclaimer
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