Morgan Stanley Expanding Access to Crypto Fund Investments: CNBC

Morgan Stanley is expanding its crypto offerings, allowing all clients to have access to digital assets, according to a Friday report.

CNBC reported Friday that advisors will be able to offer crypto fund investments to any client as of October 15, including those with retirement accounts. Previously, only high-net-worth individuals could invest in crypto at the bank.

Morgan Stanley did not immediately respond to Decrypt‘s questions. 

The bank has slowly been making inroads into the digital asset space over the years. In 2021, it started offering wealthy clients access to Bitcoin investment funds. In 2024, Morgan Stanley greenlit financial advisors promoting Bitcoin ETFs to clients.

This year, things accelerated. The bank’s CEO and Chairman Ted Pick said in a January interview that the bank would work with regulators to see how they could offer crypto safely. 

“For us, the equation is really around whether we, as a highly regulated financial institution, can act as transactors,” he said at the time. 

Then, in September, the bank confirmed to Decrypt that it was joining with crypto and stablecoin infrastructure firm Zerohash to enable customers to trade Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Solana via its E*Trade online brokerage platform.

There has been more interest in the crypto space since the 2024 approval of Bitcoin ETFs managed by Wall Street titans like BlackRock and Fidelity. Ethereum ETF approvals also followed last summer, with funds for other crypto assets trickling out in recent months.

President Donald Trump also campaigned on a ticket to help the industry, and this year has pushed a number of crypto-friendly laws as regulatory industries have pulled back on crypto-related enforcement. Compared to the previous administration, regulators under Trump have been far more open to the fast-moving and arcane industry.

Editor’s note: This story was updated after publication with additional details.