Morgan Stanley is allowing financial advisors to pitch cryptocurrency funds to all clients as the wealth management giant expands its offerings.
Summary
- Morgan Stanley has opened access to cryptocurrency funds to all clients.
- Financial advisors can now advise and recommend Bitcoin funds to all clients, with investments allowed in any type of account.
- CNBC reports the rollout begins on Oct. 15.
Morgan Stanley is taking this step as it drops restrictions that have so far limited access to crypto funds to certain wealth clients, CNBC reported on Oct. 10.
Per the report, financial advisors at the firm will, from Oct. 15, be able to recommend crypto investments to all clients, with customers able to invest in any of the available funds in any account, including retirement and trust accounts.
Morgan Stanley drops restrictions
Previously, the bank restricted financial advisors to pitching Bitcoin (BTC) funds only to wealth clients deemed to have an aggressive risk profile. The clients also had to own at least $1.5 million in assets, with further restrictions being the option of accessing crypto only in taxable brokerage accounts.
These are now dropped, with access to all clients rolling out on Oct. 15, 2025.
For the immediate future, advisors will advise clients and pitch funds from BlackRock and Fidelity. However, the plan is to expand the list to other crypto funds, Morgan Stanley said.
Pro-crypto stance
With more than $8.2 trillion in customer assets, Morgan Stanley is an industry behemoth. But unlike many peers, its stance on crypto investment offerings to clients has increasingly shifted to one that’s more supportive.
A shift across the United States’ regulatory approach to cryptocurrency has also weighed in on this outlook, with the firm buoyed by developments since President Donald Trump’s election in November 2024. Recently, Morgan Stanley announced plans to roll out trading of Bitcoin, Ethereum (ETH) and Solana (SOL) to customers via its E-Trade platform.
The bank’s global investment committee has also recommended allocations to crypto portfolios be limited to 4% of initial exposure.
According to Lisa Shalett, chief investment officer at the bank, crypto is currently “a speculative and increasingly popular asset class.” Many investors may want to explore the opportunity the asset class offers, Shalett added.
