Morgan Stanley Report Reveals Only 18% of 2025 Interns Hold Crypto Assets

Gen Z's crypto adoption hits surprising roadblock as traditional finance interns show skepticism toward digital assets.

The Institutional Divide

Morgan Stanley's latest survey exposes a generational gap that's puzzling analysts—only 18% of 2025 interns across major financial institutions reported owning cryptocurrency. These digital natives, expected to champion blockchain adoption, are instead mirroring their boomer bosses' caution toward volatile assets.

Wall Street's Whisper Network

Banking interns cite regulatory uncertainty and career risk as primary deterrents—apparently nothing makes a resume shine like avoiding the SEC's watchlist. Meanwhile, crypto-native firms report nearly triple the adoption rates among their incoming classes, suggesting traditional finance's culture might be the real barrier to entry.

The compliance-first generation chooses steady paychecks over moon shots—proving sometimes the most revolutionary thing young bankers can do is play it safe. After all, why gamble on decentralized futures when you've got student loans and a corporate ladder to climb?

They Embrace Tech—But Not All of It

This same group of interns also shared that they are deeply immersed in technology. Among them, 96% said they use AI tools at least occasionally, with daily use more than doubling since last year. 

As per Morgan Stanley’s data, AI is being used widely as a time-saving tool amongst Gen-Z, where it reflects that, some interns are still skeptical of its accuracy and reliability. 

Data also highlights nearly half of the European interns said technology is affecting their mental health, which is a big jump from last year.

For Genz, their career comes first with 89% of US interns rank it as their top priority, increased from 86% last year. Relationships and travel follow next, while starting a family and saving for retirement rank lower.  

Morgan Stanley’s data shows that the upcoming leaders are a thoughtful, career-driven generation embracing smart technology like AI, but slow to jump on the crypto bandwagon.

Also Read: Elon Musk’s xAI Faces Lawsuit From ethereum Gaming Firm