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Brokerage rollout brings Bitcoin, Ethereum and Solana trading to E*Trade users
TL;DR
- Morgan Stanley has started rolling out crypto trading on E*Trade in pilot mode.
- The launch supports Bitcoin, Ethereum and Solana with a 0.50% transaction fee.
- Full access is expected later in 2026 for E*Trade’s 8.6 million clients.
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Morgan Stanley has begun a pilot rollout of cryptocurrency trading on E*Trade, giving users access to Bitcoin, Ethereum and Solana with a 50-basis-point transaction fee ahead of a planned broader launch to all 8.6 million E*Trade clients later in 2026.
The offering allows E*Trade users to trade supported digital assets directly inside the brokerage platform rather than opening a separate account with a crypto-native exchange. The rollout marks a direct expansion of Morgan Stanley’s retail brokerage business into spot crypto trading, with the service positioned around familiar brokerage access and lower basic retail pricing.
A Morgan Stanley spokesperson confirmed that the fee structure and pilot details described by Bloomberg were accurate. The fee equals 0.50% of the dollar value of each crypto transaction, placing E*Trade below the basic retail pricing cited for Coinbase, Robinhood and Charles Schwab.
Zerohash Supports the Trading Infrastructure
Morgan Stanley’s crypto trading launch follows an earlier plan to introduce the service through a partnership with Zerohash. Zerohash is providing liquidity, custody and settlement services, allowing Morgan Stanley to add crypto trading to E*Trade without building a full consumer exchange or full internal crypto infrastructure from scratch.
The initial product supports three assets at launch: Bitcoin, Ethereum and Solana. The service is already being tested through the pilot, with broader access expected later this year for E*Trade’s full client base.
Charles Schwab’s recent spot Bitcoin and Ether trading launch is a direct comparison point, with that retail offering charging 75 basis points per transaction. Morgan Stanley’s 50-basis-point fee is lower than that stated basic retail pricing, although lower-cost options remain available on professional or advanced crypto venues such as Kraken Pro, Binance US and certain Coinbase Advanced tiers.
Wall Street Crypto Products Expand
Morgan Stanley’s E*Trade rollout comes roughly one month after the bank launched a spot Bitcoin ETF, MSBT. The fund recorded $30.6 million in inflows on its first day of trading on NYSE Arca.
Goldman Sachs has also moved further into Bitcoin-linked products after filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission in April for the Goldman Sachs Bitcoin Premium Income ETF. The proposed fund is designed to generate income by selling call options on Bitcoin exchange-traded products rather than holding Bitcoin directly.
BNY Mellon is another institutional crypto infrastructure example after its digital-asset custody platform went live in the United States in October 2022. That platform allowed select clients to hold and transfer Bitcoin and Ether.
CME Group has also announced new cryptocurrency derivative products, adding to the broader expansion of institutional crypto products beyond spot trading. The regulatory backdrop has been described as more supportive, with clearer U.S. rules from institutions such as the SEC and CFTC reducing perceived legal risk for large banks offering crypto products to mainstream clients.
FAQ
What assets does E*Trade crypto trading support at launch?
Bitcoin, Ethereum and Solana.
What fee is Morgan Stanley charging?
Morgan Stanley is charging 50 basis points, or 0.50%, per crypto transaction.
Who is supporting the infrastructure?
Zerohash is providing liquidity, custody and settlement services.
When is broader access expected?
Full access is expected later in 2026 for 8.6 million E*Trade clients.
This article has been refined and enhanced by ChatGPT.
