Morgan Stanley has taken another step forward in the digital assets space by filing for a new national trust bank charter that would allow the firm to custody cryptocurrencies and provide related services for clients in the United States.
Key points to remember:
- Morgan Stanley has applied for a national trust charter to hold crypto and provide trading and staking services.
- The move is part of a broader institutional push for regulated digital asset infrastructure.
- The approval would allow the bank to directly hold clients’ crypto as it expands ETF and wealth management offerings.
A public filing with the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency shows the application, submitted Feb. 18, is named Morgan Stanley Digital Trust, National Association.
The move would create a newly created banking entity rather than an acquired institution.
Morgan Stanley Subsidiary to Offer Cryptocurrency Custody, Trading and Staking Services
According to reports from Bloomberg and Forbes, the subsidiary would provide custody of selected digital assets and support investment activity through purchases, sales, exchanges and transfers.
The filing also outlines projects aimed at offering staking services, an increasingly common feature among institutional crypto platforms.
A national trust charter authorizes fiduciary operations such as custody of assets, custody and fiduciary services. “De novo” status indicates that the bank is created from scratch.
If approved, it would be Morgan Stanley’s first trust charter dedicated specifically to crypto.
The app is part of a broader push by financial institutions to provide federal oversight of digital asset operations.
BREAKING: This is MASSIVE news for Alts…
Morgan Stanley is going all-in on Crypto – and they love it $XRP on Bitcoin.
Morgan Stanley has just applied for a trusted national bank charter to hold Bitcoin and crypto assets.
This is a Wall Street giant applying for crypto custody… pic.twitter.com/vKjmMGu7oD
– Mark (@markchadwickx) February 28, 2026
BREAKING: This is MASSIVE news for Alts…More recently, payments companies and trading platforms, including Stripe-owned Bridge and Crypto.com, have also sought similar approvals.
The run reflects growing demand from institutional clients seeking regulated custody and trading infrastructure after years of market volatility and high-profile stock market failures.
Morgan Stanley has continued to expand its presence in the sector. In January, the bank named head of equity markets Amy Oldenburg to head a new digital assets division.
Job postings indicate that the company is hiring additional specialists in strategy and product roles related to crypto services.
The investment bank also filed to launch Bitcoin and Solana spot exchange-traded funds, followed by a proposed staked Ether ETF.
Together, the documents suggest a broader strategy to integrate digital assets into traditional wealth management offerings.
If regulators approve the charter, Morgan Stanley would be able to directly protect client assets instead of relying on third-party custodians, potentially positioning the firm as a full-service provider for institutional crypto investors.
OCC Grants Trust Bank Charters to Leading Crypto Companies
The OCC in December approved national trust bank charters for a list of crypto and digital asset companies, including BitGo, Fidelity Digital Assets, Circle, Ripple and Paxos, widening the on-ramp for tokenized financing.
Trust banks are in a narrower lane than full-service banks because they generally cannot accept deposits or make loans.
Nonetheless, the model can still open doors for stablecoin issuers who want to custody assets and manage conversion and settlement services without relying entirely on third-party providers.
Earlier this year, World Liberty Financial also filed for a U.S. national banking charter as stablecoins transition from a trading tool to payments infrastructure.
The article Morgan Stanley seeks National Trust charter to hold clients’ crypto appeared first on Cryptonews.
