Morgan Stanley Seeks National Trust Charter to Custody Crypto and Offer Staking
Morgan Stanley applied on Feb. 18 for a national trust bank charter named Morgan Stanley Digital Trust, National Association to custody cryptocurrencies and provide trading and staking services. Approval would let the bank directly hold client digital assets, enhancing its spot crypto ETF pipeline and expanding wealth management offerings.
1. Charter Application Details
Morgan Stanley submitted an application on Feb. 18 to create Morgan Stanley Digital Trust, National Association under a national trust charter with the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency.
2. Proposed Crypto Services
The new entity would custody selected digital assets and support trading, swaps, purchases, sales and staking services for institutional clients.
3. Strategic Implications
By securing a de novo trust charter, the firm could hold client crypto directly, enhance its spot Bitcoin, Solana, and staked Ether ETF offerings and integrate digital assets into wealth management services.
4. Industry Context
This move follows similar charter filings by payments firms and trading platforms and reflects growing institutional demand for regulated crypto infrastructure after market volatility and exchange failures.