Morgan Stanley to kick off proprietary crypto trading services via digital platform in 2026

Morgan Stanley announced it aims to roll out its proprietary crypto trading service on the E*Trade platform in the first half of 2026 through a partnership with digital asset infrastructure firm Zerohash.

At launch, E*Trade clients will be able to trade Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Solana, marking one of the most significant steps yet by a Wall Street bank to fold digital assets into mainstream brokerage services.

Expanding crypto push

The decision comes as traditional financial institutions accelerate efforts to capture growing demand for crypto exposure.

Competitors such as Robinhood already offer a wide selection of tokens, while Charles Schwab has taken a more cautious approach, providing access to exchange-traded funds tied to BTC and ETH.

Interactive Brokers, another retail rival, has also deepened its crypto offerings, signaling broader acceptance across the brokerage sector.

The crypto market is currently valued at roughly $3.9 trillion, with Bitcoin accounting for about $2.25 trillion and ether around $506 billion. The scale of those assets has pressured established brokerages to adapt to retain clients increasingly interested in alternative investments.

Zerohash gains momentum

For Zerohash, the partnership with Morgan Stanley follows a milestone fundraising round in which the company secured $104 million and reached unicorn status.

Interactive Brokers led the round, with participation from Morgan Stanley, SoFi, and other financial backers. The firm specializes in providing infrastructure that allows banks and fintechs to offer crypto products without building their own trading and custody systems.

The expansion also reflects a policy environment that has grown more favorable under the Trump administration, with regulators signaling support for digital assets. The backdrop has encouraged Wall Street banks and asset managers to move beyond cautious pilot programs into live offerings.

Morgan Stanley’s integration of crypto trading on E*Trade highlights how digital assets have shifted from a niche experiment into a fixture of global finance, one that both retail investors and institutions can no longer ignore.

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