Morgan Stanley Prepares for Cryptocurrency Trading Debut
Dive into the Future of Crypto with Morgan Stanley
It's buzzing around the financial world! Banking giant Morgan Stanley is working tirelessly to introduce cryptocurrency trading, according to a Thursday report by Bloomberg.
The banking behemoth, the sixth-largest in the U.S., is planning to allow its customers to buy cryptocurrencies via its E-Trade platform, which it acquired for a whopping $13 billion in 2020. This move might just happen next year, the report suggests.
Though Morgan Stanley's cryptocurrency trading initiative is still in its infant stages, it signifies the increasing crossover of traditional finance with the exciting realm of digital assets. This convergence has been gaining significant institutional acceptance.
The bank's foray into digital assets could be partly influenced by the emergence of a favorable U.S. environment for digital assets.
Morgan Stanley has had a taste of the crypto world before. As reported by U.Today, the bank opened some of its institutional funds to Bitcoin back in 2021. Last August, it allowed thousands of financial advisors to pitch Bitcoin ETFs to wealthy clients.
In January, Morgan Stanley CEO Ted Pick told CNBC that the banking giant was working with regulators to navigate the crypto market safely.
While Morgan Stanley hasn't officially launched cryptocurrency trading as of May 2025, it's actively developing plans to introduce spot Bitcoin and crypto trading through its E-Trade platform. The target launch window is estimated to be 2025–2026. If everything goes according to plan, Morgan Stanley could become the first major U.S. bank to offer direct crypto trading at scale, competing with platforms like Coinbase and Robinhood.
[1]: Morgan Stanleycrypto rollout target launch window 2025–2026[5]: Morgan Stanleycrypto plans for direct crypto purchases via E-Trade
- Morgan Stanley is planning to allow its customers to purchase cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin and Ethereum via its E-Trade platform, with a target launch window of 2025–2026.
- This move by Morgan Stanley, a key player in the traditional finance world, further highlights the likely convergence of crypto and mainstream finance businesses.
- In the burgeoning cryptocurrency market, this convergence has garnered significant institutional acceptance, with more businesses and financial institutions exhibiting interest in crypto trading.
- The influx of established financial institutions like Morgan Stanley into the crypto sector reflects the strategic importance of cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin and Ethereum, and the potential they hold for the future of finance.
- With Morgan Stanley actively developing plans for direct crypto trading, it could potentially carve out a significant space for itself in the competitive crypto trading landscape, likely rivaling established crypto platforms like Coinbase and Robinhood.
- The increasing interest and efforts of institutions like Morgan Stanley in the crypto trading sector may signal the shifting tide towards broader crypto adoption by businesses and financial institutions, fueled by the transformative power of technology in the financial industry.
