Morgan Stanley Applies for National Trust Bank Charter to Expand Crypto Services

Morgan Stanley files for a national trust bank charter to expand crypto services, offer staking and trading services for institutional investors.

A major Wall Street bank is expanding deeper into the digital asset market. The financial giant has gone to the United States to apply for a national trust bank charter. As a result, the move is indicative of the increasing institutional interest in cryptocurrency services and federally supervised digital asset custody.

Morgan Stanley Moves to Establish National Digital Asset Trust Bank

Morgan Stanley applied for a de novo national trust bank charter. The filing took place on February 18, 2026. According to a report by Bloomberg, the charter would enable the bank to proceed with expanding regulated crypto services.

The proposed institution will operate under the name of Morgan Stanley Digital Trust, National Association. The new entity is expected to offer digital asset custody and fiduciary services. Therefore, the institutional clients can access the regulated infrastructure of cryptocurrencies through the bank.

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The headquarters of the proposed trust bank will be based in Purchase, New York. From here, the institution intends to serve wealth management and institutional investors throughout the United States. As a result, the bank wants to further establish itself in the emerging digital asset industry.

One big service will be the support of custody for cryptocurrencies. Clients can securely store digital assets such as Bitcoin, Ethereum and Solana. This regulated custody structure may minimize security concerns among institutional investors.

Additionally, the trust bank intends to pursue trading and transfers of digital assets. Clients can do transactions of buying, selling, swapping, and transferring through the platform. Therefore, investors can add cryptocurrency strategies to more extensive financial portfolios.

Another planned service is cryptocurrency staking. Through staking, clients can obtain some rewards by participating in the operation of the blockchain network. The trust bank wants to provide staking services on a fiduciary basis for the sake of regulatory oversight.

Wall Street Expands Crypto Strategy with New Charter Application

The trust charter also supports plans of expanding digital asset trading services. The bank plans to start trading in cryptocurrency on the E*Trade retail platform. This feature may be available for users in the future in 2026.

Earlier in the year, the bank bolstered its leadership in digital assets. In January 2026, Amy Oldenburg was named head of digital assets strategy. Her role is to boost cryptocurrency infrastructure and institutional adoption.

Furthermore, the bank recently filed exchange-traded funds relating to cryptocurrencies. These filings include spot investment products with Bitcoin, Solana and staked Ether. As a result, the Bank is expanding its presence in various segments in the digital asset market.

Morgan Stanley becomes one of the first major Wall Street institutions looking for a dedicated crypto trust charter. Other companies are looking into similar regulated services such as Ripple, BitGo, Fidelity Digital Assets, and Paxos.

The national trust charter structure provides for specialized fiduciary services without traditional banking deposits. Therefore, institutions stand to provide crypto custody and asset management with Federal supervision without the complexities of retail banking.

Importantly, regulatory conditions in 2026 seem to be more conducive to digital assets. Financial institutions are slowly adding blockchain services to the mainstream of investment items. Consequently, institutional involvement in the cryptocurrency industry is growing globally.

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