Morgan Stanley E-Trade Considers Launching Cryptocurrency Trading Service

• Morgan Stanley considers expanding E-Trade with cryptocurrency trading.
• Cryptocurrencies gain momentum with pro-regulation policies in the US.
• Traditional financial institutions step up adoption of digital assets.

Morgan Stanley’s online brokerage platform E-Trade is exploring the possibility of including cryptocurrency trading in its portfolio. The move would mark a significant step for one of the leading financial institutions in the digital asset market. E-Trade currently offers traditional investment products such as stocks, bonds and index funds, but the inclusion of cryptocurrencies could further diversify its offerings.

JUST IN: 🇺🇸 Morgan Stanley's E*Trade exploring # Bitcoin and crypto trading launch – The Information

E*trade has 5.5 million retail accounts and 2m corporate accounts. 🔥 pic.twitter.com/FZvX821PWX

—Bitcoin Archive (@BTC_Archive) January 2, 2025

This initiative comes at a time of regulatory optimism in the United States, with expectations that the administration of Donald Trump, who returns to the presidency in 2025, will implement policies favorable to the cryptocurrency sector. During his campaign, Trump promised to create a strategic reserve of Bitcoin and appoint digital asset experts to key positions, fueling enthusiasm in the market.

Morgan Stanley acquired E-Trade in 2020 in a deal valued at $13 billion to expand its wealth management services. Now, with the potential introduction of crypto trading, millions of E-Trade clients could have direct access to the digital asset market, putting the brokerage in direct competition with giants like Coinbase.

Other major financial institutions are also making moves into the crypto market. Goldman Sachs, for example, has indicated interest in revamping its digital asset platform, while Bitwise and Grayscale have applied for approval to launch ETFs tied to altcoins such as Solana (SOL) and XRP. In Europe, regulations such as the Markets in Crypto-Assets (MiCA) have encouraged banks such as BBVA and Deutsche Bank to expand their crypto services.

This trend highlights a significant increase in the adoption of digital assets by traditional institutions, reinforcing the role of cryptocurrencies in the future of the global financial system. Abel Peña, Sales Director at Bit2Me, said: “We are in discussions with more than 50 institutions that plan to launch cryptocurrency trading in 2025.”