Morgan Stanley Breaks the Glass Floor—E-Trade Clients Get Crypto Access

Wall Street’s old guard just blinked. Morgan Stanley—the same institution that once called Bitcoin ’a speculative fad’—is rolling out crypto trading to E-Trade’s army of retail investors.

Behind the velvet rope: No more waiting for accredited investor status. The move signals a quiet surrender to client demand, despite years of institutional skepticism.

The fine print: Expect the usual suspects (BTC, ETH) plus a handful of vetted altcoins. Custody solutions remain strictly institutional-grade—because nothing says trust like a 157-year-old bank playing with digital bearer assets.

Closing jab: Nothing accelerates blockchain adoption like watching traditional finance scramble for relevance.

Morgan Stanley Preps Crypto Trading Offering for E-Trade Clients

The United States crypto sector has enjoyed a complete overhaul of its regulatory landscape this year. The return of US President Donald Trump has brought the first pro-crypto administration to the White House. Moreover, it has now seen a host of traditional finance firms set to embrace the asset class.

That is set to take place with Morgan Stanley, as they are reportedly planning to launch crypto trading for E-Trade clients. Indeed, the offering was under consideration by the $1.3 trillion asset manager in early January of this year. Now, those efforts are getting ever closer to actualizing.

The bank already has notable exposure to the asset class. In August of last year, they disclosed more than $187 million worth of Bitcoin ETF holdings. Moreover, they had begun advising their high-profile clients to invest in the BTC investment vehicle for much of the last year.

The United States is expected to embrace a pro-crypto regulatory framework very soon. The reshaped US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has sought to embrace the asset class like never before. Under new chair Paul Atkins, that direction has been firmly solidified.