Morgan Stanley to Launch Digital Asset Wallet in 2026
KEY FACTS: Morgan Stanley is set to launch a proprietary digital asset wallet in the second half of 2026, enabling clients to securely hold and manage a broad range of cryptocurrencies including Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Solana, as well as tokenized real-world assets such as stocks, bonds, real estate, and private equities. This wallet forms part of an ambitious 2026 roadmap that includes introducing direct crypto trading on its E-Trade platform in the first half of the year through a partnership with ZeroHash, alongside recent SEC filings for spot Bitcoin and Solana ETFs and a staked Ethereum ETF. The initiative builds on the bank's gradual expansion into digital assets.
Morgan Stanley
Morgan Stanley to Launch Digital Asset Wallet in 2026
Morgan Stanley, one of Wall Street's premier investment banks, has announced plans to launch a proprietary digital asset wallet in the second half of 2026. The initiative, part of a broader roadmap to expand cryptocurrency and blockchain-based offerings and depicts the growing institutional embrace of tokenized assets amid a favorable regulatory environment in the United States. The upcoming wallet will be designed to support a wide array of digital assets, including major cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin (BTC), Ethereum (ETH), and Solana (SOL), as well as real-world tokenized assets (RWAs). These RWAs encompass tokenized versions of traditional investments like stocks, bonds, real estate, and even private company equities.
According to reports citing executives at the firm, the wallet aims to provide clients with a seamless, secure platform for holding, managing, and transacting these assets, with plans to gradually expand support for additional asset classes over time. Jed Finn, head of Morgan Stanley's wealth management division, highlighted the strategic importance of this development in interviews with financial media outlets.
The wallet is envisioned as a comprehensive solution that integrates digital assets into the bank's existing wealth management ecosystem, allowing clients to consolidate their traditional and blockchain-based holdings in one place. This comes as part of interconnected efforts in workplace financial services, private-market investing, and digital infrastructure enhancements.
The wallet launch is part of other ambitious 2026 initiatives from Morgan Stanley. In the first half of the year, the bank intends to roll out direct cryptocurrency trading on its ETrade brokerage platform, which it acquired in 2020. Through a partnership with digital asset infrastructure provider ZeroHash, ETrade users will gain access to trading Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Solana. This feature represents "phase one" of the bank's retail crypto expansion, with the proprietary wallet positioned as a natural progression to enable full custody and management capabilities.
Morgan Stanley's push into digital assets has been building momentum over recent years. Initially cautious, the firm began offering cryptocurrency exposure to its high-net-worth clients, those with at least $1.5 million in investable assets, as early as 2021 through select Bitcoin funds. By October 2025, the bank broadened access, allowing all clients across various account types, including retirement plans, to invest in approved crypto products. Analysts at the firm have since recommended conservative allocations, suggesting up to 4% in higher-risk growth portfolios and 2% in balanced ones.
Meanwhile, Morgan Stanley recently filed applications with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) for several exchange-traded funds (ETFs). These include spot Bitcoin and Solana ETFs, which would passively track the prices of the underlying cryptocurrencies by holding the actual assets, as well as a staked Ethereum ETF that incorporates staking rewards. Staking involves locking up tokens to support proof-of-stake blockchain networks, generating yields paid in the native cryptocurrency. These filings show the bank's intent to provide regulated, accessible investment vehicles amid surging demand for crypto ETFs, which have seen billions in inflows since their broader approval in prior years.
The tokenized real-world assets sector, which the new wallet targets prominently, has experienced explosive growth. Platforms tracking RWAs report billions in tokenized value across categories like government securities, corporate bonds, real estate funds, and commodities. Morgan Stanley's entry into this space positions it to capitalize on the tokenization trend, where blockchain technology enables fractional ownership, faster settlement, and increased liquidity for traditionally illiquid assets such as private equity.
Competitors like JPMorgan Chase, BlackRock, and Fidelity have already established strong footholds in crypto custody, ETFs, and tokenization pilots, but Morgan Stanley's integrated approach, which combines trading, custody, and wallet functionality, could set a new standard for client-centric digital finance. Morgan Stanley's digital wallet could bridge the gap between decentralized finance (DeFi) and traditional finance (TradFi), as it promises to offer clients a regulated gateway to the world of tokenized economies.
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