Morgan Stanley Launches Spot Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Solana Trading on E*TRADE

Morgan Stanley has officially expanded its digital asset footprint by launching spot cryptocurrency trading on its popular E*TRADE platform. The new feature allows eligible retail customers to buy, sell, and hold Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Solana directly within their brokerage accounts, marking a significant milestone in the integration of digital assets into mainstream wealth management.

To power the backend of this offering, the Wall Street investment banking giant has partnered with digital asset infrastructure provider Zero Hash. Under this arrangement, E*TRADE users can view their crypto balances alongside traditional equities, mutual funds, and other investments, but the digital assets themselves are held in linked Zero Hash accounts rather than directly by Morgan Stanley. This structure allows the legacy institution to offer seamless crypto exposure while leveraging an established, specialized custodian to manage the technical and regulatory complexities of digital asset storage.

According to an announcement from Morgan Stanley on Thursday, transactions on the platform will incur a 50-basis-point fee. While users can currently buy and sell the three supported assets, the firm plans to roll out full crypto transfer functionality—allowing clients to deposit and withdraw digital assets to and from external wallets—later this year.

“Our clients’ needs are evolving, and they want to invest, trade, bank, and plan for the future all in one place,” said Matt Jones, Head of E*TRADE, in a statement. “Whether they’re buying their first share, exploring crypto, participating in an IPO, or planning for retirement, our job is to meet them where they are – with the confidence and trust that comes from being part of Morgan Stanley.”

The integration of crypto is part of a comprehensive overhaul of the retail brokerage platform. Alongside digital assets, the update introduces enhanced retirement planning tools, fractional share trading, an updated IPO Center, and advanced features tailored for active traders.

The move represents a notable shift in how traditional brokerages approach digital assets. While the launch of spot Bitcoin and Ethereum exchange-traded funds (ETFs) earlier this year opened Wall Street’s doors to crypto, enabling direct spot trading allows retail investors to interact with the underlying assets within a familiar brokerage interface. The inclusion of Solana alongside industry giants Bitcoin and Ethereum also underscores the growing institutional acceptance of the high-throughput layer-1 blockchain.

“With the rollout of crypto trading on E*TRADE we’re advancing our digital assets strategy and bringing new capabilities to clients in an integrated way,” said Chad Turner, head of Morgan Stanley Wealth Management Platforms.

This launch is the culmination of a multi-stage digital asset strategy that Morgan Stanley has aggressively pursued throughout the year. The firm first disclosed its intentions to bring crypto trading to E*TRADE in September 2025, outlining a plan to support Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Solana via Zero Hash. The current rollout fully realizes that roadmap.

Beyond retail trading, Morgan Stanley has been steadily building out its institutional crypto capabilities. In January, the firm filed registration statements with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) for spot Bitcoin and Solana exchange-traded funds, signaling its intent to offer proprietary, branded investment products.

By April, the bank shifted its focus toward the cutting edge of blockchain technology, exploring asset tokenization, tokenized money market funds, and specialized tax-management tools for digital assets. Later that same month, Morgan Stanley introduced a dedicated money market fund designed for stablecoin issuers to manage their reserves in compliance with the GENIUS Act.

By embedding crypto directly into E*TRADE, Morgan Stanley is positioning itself to capture retail volume that has historically migrated to native crypto exchanges, offering a unified wealth management experience backed by one of Wall Street’s most established institutions.