Morgan Stanley to Unlock $1.3T Crypto Trading via E-Trade in 2026

Morgan Stanley is preparing to bring cryptocurrency trading for E-Trade clients in the first half of 2026, a move that could open access to as much as $1.3 trillion in trading volume.

The Wall Street giant is partnering with crypto infrastructure provider Zerohash to support liquidity, custody, and settlement, marking one of the most significant steps yet by a major U.S. bank into digital assets.

Morgan Stanley Opens Phase One of Digital Asset Platform With Direct Coin Trading

According to Bloomberg, the offering will begin with Bitcoin, Ether, and Solana, with plans to expand to a broader range of services.

The service will begin with spot trading for the three largest cryptocurrencies by market value, but Morgan Stanley executives have indicated that the offering is only the first step.

Jed Finn, Morgan Stanley’s head of wealth management, described the rollout as “phase one,” noting that the bank is also developing a wallet that would allow clients to hold and manage digital assets directly alongside their traditional portfolios.

“The underlying technology has been proven and blockchain-based infrastructure is obviously here to stay,” Finn said, emphasizing the goal of integrating both traditional and digitized assets within the same ecosystem.

Morgan Stanley, which generates nearly half of its revenue from wealth management, is positioning itself at the intersection of traditional finance and emerging digital markets.

The launch is expected to draw more institutional and retail investors into cryptocurrencies while also giving the bank a competitive edge over rivals.

The initiative comes at a time when competitors such as Charles Schwab are also exploring digital asset offerings, while Robinhood has already established a strong presence, generating $626 million from crypto trading last year.

Notably, JPMorgan had earlier this year partnered with Coinbase to improve crypto purchases for customers.

For Morgan Stanley, direct crypto trading will replace earlier exposure strategies, where clients accessed digital assets through external managers like Galaxy Digital.

The new model allows the bank to cut third-party fees and provide clients with direct ownership of coins, though this also comes with higher risks.

Zerohash, Morgan Stanley’s chosen infrastructure partner, recently raised $104 million in a Series D round led by Interactive Brokers and is now valued at $1 billion.

Morgan Stanley participated in the funding, reinforcing its commitment to the collaboration. Zerohash’s role will be central in ensuring that the platform can manage large-scale trading while meeting regulatory standards for custody and settlement.

Morgan Stanley’s strategy extends beyond simple crypto trading. Finn said the bank is preparing an asset allocation framework that could assign a small percentage of client portfolios to cryptocurrencies, depending on risk tolerance and investment goals.

The firm is also exploring tokenization as a long-term play, with potential applications in streamlining settlement, clearing, and even creating tokenized substitutes for cash and traditional assets.

“The way we interact with money becomes significantly different if you fast-forward this to its logical extreme,” Finn said, suggesting that tokenization could reshape how wealth management firms operate.

Major Banks Step Into Crypto With Stablecoin Talks and Service Expansions

U.S. banking giants are edging deeper into digital assets after years of hesitation.

Notably, JPMorgan Chase, Bank of America, Citigroup, and Wells Fargo are exploring a joint stablecoin project through entities such as Early Warning Services, the operator of Zelle, and the Clearing House.

The discussions remain preliminary but signal a shift as traditional institutions consider consortium-backed digital currency.

Other U.S. banks are also moving forward. In July, PNC Bank announced a partnership with Coinbase to integrate its Crypto-as-a-Service platform, allowing customers to buy, hold, and sell crypto directly.

CEO William S. Demchak said the collaboration reflects rising demand for secure digital asset access on regulated platforms.

Meanwhile, fintech leader FIS has teamed up with Circle to integrate USDC into its Money Movement Hub, giving banks streamlined access to one of the world’s largest regulated stablecoins.

The service combines real-time payments with blockchain infrastructure, aiming to lower costs and expand payment options.

Stablecoins processed $27.6 trillion in transactions during the first quarter of 2025, more than double Visa’s 2023 settlement volume.

The trend extends beyond the U.S. In Germany, the Sparkassen-Finanzgruppe plans to offer Bitcoin and Ether trading to 50 million customers by 2026, reversing its previous opposition.

Other German lenders, including DZ Bank and Landesbank Baden-Württemberg, are also expanding custody and trading services.

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