Morgan Stanley will start with Bitcoin & Co. on E-Trade in 2026!

Morgan Stanley will start with Bitcoin & Co. on E-Trade in 2026!

Morgan Stanley has announced that it plans to enable its retail customers to trade cryptocurrencies through the E-Trade platform starting in 2026. This significant development in the world of digital assets will expand trading opportunities to include prominent cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin (BTC), Ethereum (ETH) and Solana (SOL), as Crypto News reports.

This venture is part of a partnership with crypto startup Zerohash aimed at strengthening Morgan Stanley's wealth management business. In 2024, this division accounted for almost half of the company's revenue. Morgan Stanley sees this as an opportunity to assert itself against competitors such as Robinhood and Charles Schwab.

Strategic partnership and expansion

The plans for crypto trading on E-Trade were first unveiled in May 2023. This initiative follows the acquisition of E-Trade in 2020, which, at a price of $13 billion, represents a key move in Morgan Stanley's digital wealth strategy. The collaboration with Zerohash has also gained significance as the company has achieved unicorn status following a $104 million funding round led by Interactive Brokers and also involving Morgan Stanley and SoFi.

Zerohash plans to use the new capital to expand its product offerings, grow its team, and develop innovative solutions to challenges in financial markets. These moves are part of a broader plan to expand Morgan Stanley's presence in the highly competitive digital assets market.

Morgan Stanley's decision to launch crypto trading offerings on E-Trade signals not only the growing interest in digital currencies among mainstream financial institutions, but also the increasing acceptance of cryptocurrencies in the mainstream financial sector. As the industry evolves, competition for the attention of retail investors is expected to increase.