Morgan Stanley Launches Spot Crypto Trading – Here Is Why Wall Street Keeps Expanding Into Digital Assets

• Morgan Stanley’s E*TRADE platform now allows eligible clients to buy, sell, and hold Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Solana.
• The service is powered by Zero Hash, with crypto transfers expected to launch later this year.
• The expansion marks another major step in Morgan Stanley’s growing digital asset strategy alongside its crypto ETFs and stablecoin services.

Morgan Stanley has officially expanded into retail cryptocurrency trading, enabling eligible E*TRADE clients to directly buy, sell, and hold Bitcoin (BTC), Ethereum (ETH), and Solana (SOL) through its investing platform.

The new offering integrates digital assets alongside traditional investments, allowing customers to manage cryptocurrencies, stocks, ETFs, and other assets from a single account interface.

The rollout follows a limited pilot program that began earlier this year and represents another milestone in Wall Street’s continued adoption of digital assets.

Crypto Trading Comes to E*TRADE

The new service is being powered by crypto infrastructure provider Zero Hash, which will provide custody and transaction services through separate crypto accounts.

Initially, eligible customers can trade and hold Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Solana directly on the platform. Morgan Stanley also confirmed that functionality allowing users to transfer crypto assets on and off E*TRADE is expected to arrive later this year.

According to the company, cryptocurrency trades will carry a 0.50% transaction fee, while custody services currently remain outside traditional FDIC and SIPC protections.

Millions of Investors Gain Crypto Access

E*TRADE remains one of the largest self-directed investment platforms in the United States.

As of March 31, the platform served approximately 8.6 million households and held around $1.56 trillion in client assets.

By integrating cryptocurrency into its existing investment platform, Morgan Stanley is making digital assets more accessible to a broad base of retail investors who already use E*TRADE for traditional investing.

Morgan Stanley Continues Expanding Its Crypto Business

The launch forms part of Morgan Stanley’s broader digital asset strategy, which has accelerated significantly over the past year.

Earlier this year, the firm introduced a stablecoin reserve service, allowing stablecoin issuers to place reserve assets into Morgan Stanley money market funds while earning interest.

The company also launched its own spot Bitcoin ETF, which debuted with one of the lowest management fees in the industry. More recently, Morgan Stanley updated filings for proposed spot Ethereum and Solana ETFs, continuing to expand its cryptocurrency product lineup.

Wall Street Adoption Keeps Growing

Morgan Stanley’s latest move reflects a broader trend among major financial institutions embracing digital assets.

Rather than treating cryptocurrencies as a separate investment category, firms are increasingly integrating them into traditional wealth management platforms alongside stocks, bonds, and mutual funds.

With crypto transfers expected later this year and additional ETF products already in development, Morgan Stanley appears to be positioning itself as a full-service provider for both traditional finance and digital asset investing.

As institutional participation continues growing, launches like E*TRADE’s spot crypto trading service further demonstrate how cryptocurrencies are becoming an increasingly established part of mainstream financial markets.

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