Morgan Stanley’s E*TRADE Launches Spot Crypto Trading
E*TRADE, a Morgan Stanley subsidiary and one of the largest online brokerages in the United States, has opened cryptocurrency trading to its customers, marking another step toward mainstream financial institutions’ adoption of digital assets and a milestone for the retail investment market. The move lowers the barrier to crypto investing for traditional investors and blurs the line between conventional securities and decentralized assets. It also allows users to manage a diversified portfolio on a single platform, accelerating crypto’s integration into everyday financial planning.
E*TRADE formally launched spot cryptocurrency trading with Zero Hash on July 16, 2026, initially supporting Bitcoin, Ether and Solana. Users can view their crypto holdings alongside traditional stocks and bonds, with a 0.5% fee charged on each trade. The service became fully available after testing began in May 2026. Digital-asset transfers are expected to be enabled by the end of 2026, while custody is ultimately planned to be handled by Morgan Stanley’s digital trust, which is still being established.
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The history behind this eventMorgan Stanley Launches Low-Fee Crypto Trading on E*Trade
Morgan Stanley acquired E*Trade for about $13 billion in 2020, gaining access to its large base of self-directed investors. Adding spot cryptocurrency trading to the same platform marks a further push by Wall Street brokerages beyond indirect exposure through products such as ETFs. It also puts Morgan Stanley in direct competition with a market dominated by Coinbase and Robinhood, intensifying pressure on fees.
Morgan Stanley began a pilot for a small group of users on May 6, 2026, before rolling out the service to all U.S. E*Trade customers on July 16. Powered by Zerohash, it offers round-the-clock trading in Bitcoin, Ether and Solana. Each transaction carries a 50-basis-point fee, or 0.5%, equal to $5 on a $1,000 trade. Deposits and withdrawals will be enabled later this year.
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