The main advantage of the offering is a low fee of just 0.5%. The pilot program is currently available to a limited group of users.
Morgan Stanley has launched a pilot program for spot trading of digital assets on its E*Trade brokerage platform. The fee is just 0.5% (50 basis points)—one of the lowest offerings on the market.
Hot topic: Bitcoin on May 6 — BTC Price Stays Above $81K as Traders Look Past Iran Shock
Access to the service is currently limited to a small group of users, but it will be opened to all 8.6 million E*Trade clients by the end of 2026. Bitcoin (BTC), Ethereum (ETH), and Solana (SOL) are available at launch.
Fee Advantage
Morgan Stanley has notably outperformed its main competitors:
- Robinhood — 95 bps
- Charles Schwab — 75 bps
- Coinbase — 60 bps
“This is much more than just cheaper crypto trading. In a sense, this is our strategy,” said Morgan Stanley Head of Asset Management Jed Finn.
Read more: Top 5 24H Crypto Gainers on May 6 — Altseason Is Coming?
The Bank’s Broader Crypto Strategy
The launch of trading is part of Morgan Stanley’s comprehensive plan to integrate crypto assets. In April, the bank issued a spot bitcoin ETF, MSBT, with a record-low fee of 0.14%. It has also filed applications for Ethereum and Solana ETFs.
In February, Morgan Stanley applied for a federal trust license under the GENIUS Act, which would allow the bank to custody digital assets independently. Trading in tokenized stocks is planned for the second half of the year.
Analysts note that large traditional banks are increasingly competing with crypto exchanges for retail clients, leveraging their advantages in trust and scale.
Learn more: What Is Crypto Arbitrage Trading and How Does It Work? Complete Beginner’s Guide (2026)
