Morgan Stanley Files for Bitcoin, Solana, and Ethereum ETFs—Wall Street Goes All In

Morgan Stanley just made history. On January 6, the investment banking giant filed with the SEC to launch its own spot Bitcoin and Solana ETFs. The next day, they added an Ethereum Trust to the mix.

This isn't Morgan Stanley just selling someone else's crypto product anymore. They're building their own in-house ETFs—and that changes everything.

What They Filed

Morgan Stanley submitted three Form S-1 registration statements:

Morgan Stanley Bitcoin Trust – Tracks Bitcoin's price directly
Morgan Stanley Solana Trust – Includes staking rewards (a first for major banks)
Morgan Stanley Ethereum Trust – Filed the following day

If approved, these will trade on U.S. exchanges with tickers yet to be announced.

Why This Is Huge

This is the first time a top-10 U.S. bank has filed to create its own branded crypto ETFs.

Until now, banks like Morgan Stanley played it safe—they distributed third-party products like BlackRock's IBIT or Fidelity's FBTC. But now they're diving in headfirst.

Here's what this signals:

Deep Institutional Commitment

Building your own ETF means you believe in the long-term economics. Morgan Stanley isn't testing the waters. They're all in.

One analyst called the move a "shocker" that could push other major banks (Goldman Sachs, JP Morgan) to follow suit.

The ETF Business Is Insanely Profitable

BlackRock's Bitcoin ETF became their top revenue source in November 2025, with nearly $100 billion in assets. That kind of fee revenue is impossible to ignore.

Regulatory Clarity Under Trump

The current U.S. administration has been crypto-friendly:

Trump signed the GENIUS Act (stablecoin framework) in July 2025
The SEC updated ETF listing rules in September 2025
The CLARITY Act is expected to pass the Senate on January 15, 2026

Wall Street finally has the green light.

Other Banks Are Moving Fast

Morgan Stanley isn't alone:

Bank of America started letting advisers recommend crypto to clients (no asset threshold required)
Goldman Sachs upgraded Coinbase stock to "buy" on January 6

The institutional floodgates are opening.

What Happens Next

The SEC will now review Morgan Stanley's filings. Based on past crypto ETF approvals, we could see these products launch in Q1 or Q2 2026.

If approved, Morgan Stanley will compete with BlackRock, Fidelity, and Grayscale—but with one major advantage: their brand carries serious weight with traditional investors who've been hesitant about newer asset managers.

The Bottom Line

Two years ago, crypto ETFs were a pipe dream.

Today, one of Wall Street's biggest banks is filing to launch Bitcoin, Solana, and Ethereum ETFs.

The shift from "banks distributing crypto" to "banks building crypto products" is a defining moment.

Institutional adoption isn't coming. It's already here.