 
 
Morgan Stanley has taken a major step toward mainstream crypto adoption by lifting restrictions across all account types, including retirement. The move reflects growing pressure on traditional finance to adapt as crypto gains mainstream acceptance.
CNBC reported on Friday that Morgan Stanley’s financial advisors will be able to offer crypto fund investments to any client starting October 15. Previously, only clients with at least $1.5 million in assets and an aggressive risk appetite could invest in Bitcoin or Ethereum funds, and only via taxable brokerage accounts.
According to CNBC’s anonymous sources, advisors will be able to recommend crypto vehicles from Wall Street titans like BlackRock and Fidelity.
Since going live on US exchanges in early 2024, spot BTC and ETH exchange-traded funds have amassed a combined $77 billion in inflows — a market the majority of Morgan Stanley’s clientele were unable to access until now.
The move marks a significant expansion for Morgan Stanley’s $8.2 trillion wealth and investment management business and signals increasing acceptance of crypto as a long-term asset class for mainstream investors.
 
Morgan Stanley has been deepening its crypto strategy to meet soaring client demand and remain competitive. Earlier this month, the bank’s Global Investment Committee (GIC) recommended allocating a maximum of between 2% and 4% of portfolios to crypto, depending on investor risk appetite.
Major Shift In Washington
This comes as the Donald Trump administration has pushed several crypto-friendly laws, as regulators have moved to wipe their slate clean of enforcement actions. The regulators under Trump are turning what was once a hostile landscape for digital assets into a potential haven.
Notably, Vanguard, one of the most crypto-skeptical companies on Wall Street, is reportedly mulling giving clients access to spot crypto ETFs — marking a major about-turn that would have been unfathomable just a year ago.