Morgan Stanley Unveils Plans for Native Bitcoin Trading Platform

Morgan Stanley's expansion into cryptocurrency markets continues, with the bank planning to launch a native Bitcoin trading platform within the next year.

The platform will be phased in, initially providing E*Trade clients with access to spot Bitcoin trading through partner infrastructure. This is part of Morgan Stanley's efforts to expand digital asset access across its brokerage platform, building on earlier plans announced for 2025.

The bigger goal is a fully proprietary custody and exchange stack, which will allow the firm to hold client Bitcoin directly under its own regulated framework. Executives are taking a careful approach, prioritizing security, compliance, and brand trust before moving at full speed.

Morgan Stanley's crypto roadmap extends beyond simple trading, with the firm exploring Bitcoin lending, yield products, and broader digital asset services. This reflects growing demand from wealth clients to hold cryptocurrency outside traditional platforms, which Morgan Stanley aims to capture by bringing custody in-house.