Morgan Stanley Expands Crypto Access to All Wealth Management Clients as Wall Street Embraces Digital Assets

Morgan Stanley is dramatically expanding cryptocurrency investment access for its wealth management clients, according to a CNBC report published Wednesday. This strategic move signals a significant shift among traditionally conservative Wall Street institutions toward digital assets. Beginning next Wednesday, the banking giant will enable its financial advisors to offer cryptocurrency investments to all clients - eliminating previous restrictions based on risk tolerance, net worth, or account type. The new policy includes retirement plans and marks a substantial departure from earlier requirements that limited access to clients with minimum $1.5 million in assets, aggressive risk profiles, and taxable brokerage accounts. This expansion represents a major development for Morgan Stanley's $8.2 trillion wealth and investment management division, indicating growing institutional recognition of cryptocurrency as a legitimate long-term asset class for mainstream investors. The decision also highlights the competitive pressure traditional financial firms face as cryptocurrency investment vehicles gain popularity. BlackRock's iShares Bitcoin Trust (IBIT), for instance, has become the asset manager's most profitable ETF, accumulating nearly $100 billion in assets under management less than two years after its launch. Even Vanguard, historically one of Wall Street's most crypto-skeptical firms, is reportedly considering providing client access to spot cryptocurrency ETFs - a policy reversal that would have been unimaginable just twelve months ago. Morgan Stanley declined to comment when reached by CoinDesk for additional information.