Morgan Stanley Launches MSBT Spot Bitcoin ETF
Morgan Stanley launched its MSBT spot bitcoin ETF in July 2026, marking a significant instance of a Wall Street bank directly issuing such a product. The fund charges a management fee of just 0.14% and taps the bank’s extensive wealth-management network as it targets a market dominated by BlackRock’s IBIT, underscoring the deeper integration of crypto assets into traditional finance’s core businesses.
MSBT attracted about $34 million on its first day of trading. Depending on the methodology used, first-week inflows were estimated at between $71 million and $100 million. After six trading days, its assets had surpassed those of WisdomTree’s bitcoin fund. Over the same period, U.S. spot bitcoin ETFs recorded $996 million in weekly net inflows, the highest level since mid-January 2026.
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The history behind this eventMorgan Stanley Files for Bitcoin ETF, Names Coinbase and BNY Mellon as Custodians
Morgan Stanley, which manages about $1.9 trillion in assets, has applied to launch a spot bitcoin ETF with Coinbase Custody and Bank of New York Mellon (BNY Mellon) serving as joint custodians. The fund would be valued daily using the CoinDesk Bitcoin Benchmark Rate, reflecting major U.S. banks’ accelerating push into crypto assets.
Morgan Stanley has filed an amended S-1 with the U.S. SEC for the MSBT Bitcoin ETF, setting its management fee at 0.14%, 11 basis points below BlackRock’s comparable product. If it successfully completes the regulatory process, the fund is expected to list on a Wednesday in April and could reach customers through Morgan Stanley’s roughly 16,000 financial advisers.
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