Morgan Stanley's E*Trade completes cryptocurrency deployment and supports Bitcoin, Ethereum and Sol

Morgan Stanley's E*Trade completes the full launch of cryptocurrency spot trading

Morgan Stanley announced that its E*Trade brokerage platform has completed the deployment of cryptocurrency spot trading, and qualified customers can now buy, sell and hold Bitcoin, Ethereum and Solana directly on the platform. This announcement, issued on July 16, 2026, marks the first time among mainstream brokers that a complete cryptocurrency trading function for independent investors has been officially implemented.

E*Trade cryptocurrency launch content list

·Morgan Stanley confirmed that E*Trade will complete the deployment of cryptocurrency spot trading on July 16, 2026.
·Eligible customers can trade Bitcoin, Ethereum and Solana through an associated zerohash account, where the assets are hosted.
·The trading commission is 0.50%, and the crypto asset transfer function is expected to be launched later 2026.
·This deployment is a full launch rather than a limited pilot.

Morgan Stanley said in a press release that qualified E*Trade customers can now buy, sell and hold Bitcoin, Ethereum and Solana through associated zerohash accounts. E*Trade's real-time cryptocurrency page shows that users can trade these three assets 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and prompts that the transfer support function will be launched soon. Previously, at the E*Trade webinar on June 11, 2026, the spot trading plan for these three tokens was introduced. The broker announced on its cryptocurrency product page that the commission is 0.50%(or 50 basis points) with no additional price difference or mark-up.

What Morgan Stanley E*Trade's move means for the brokerage market

E*Trade is a mainstream brokerage brand owned by Morgan Stanley. This launch will juxtapose spot cryptocurrency trading with traditional assets such as stocks, allowing retail investors who do not use a dedicated cryptocurrency exchange to participate. Morgan Stanley's Chad Turner sees the launch as part of a broader digital asset strategy: "With the launch of cryptocurrency trading on E*Trade, we are advancing our digital asset strategy." The choice of three tokens covers the two most recognized assets in the market-Bitcoin and Ethereum, as well as Solana, broadening the appeal of the product rather than being limited to a single asset. Morgan Stanley has also been separately involved in digital asset product-related activities, including revising the registration statements of Ethereum and Solana ETFs, as well as work involving bitcoin lending and physical conversion of spot cryptocurrency ETFs.

The market response to this launch was flat rather than enthusiastic. Bitcoin was trading at $63,901, a 24-hour increase of approximately 0.63%; Ethereum was approximately $1,841 and Solana was approximately $75, with divergent trends, indicating that the news was interpreted as positive but non-explosive. Overall market sentiment remains cautious, with the Cryptocurrency Fear and Greed Index reading 25 (Extreme Fear), highlighting the fact that this adoption development is taking place in a cautious market environment.

What should investors pay attention to after launching Bitcoin, Ethereum and Solana

The hosting structure and details are key points worth tracking. Morgan Stanley said that digital asset trading and custody will be carried out through a separate zerohash account rather than a Morgan Stanley brokerage custody, and related services will be gradually transferred to the Morgan Stanley National Association of Digital Trusts (in preparation). The next specific milestone is the transfer function. The E*Trade product page shows that "Supported crypto transfers will be launched soon," and the feature is expected to be available later in 2026 to expand the way users can transfer assets in and out of the platform. In terms of pricing, a fixed commission of 0.50% and no additional spread makes it a differentiated advantage to compete with exclusive exchanges. The broader question is whether other traditional brokers will follow E*Trade and place spot cryptocurrencies alongside traditional assets, a shift that echoes broader tokenization trends such as the U.S. medical equipment company's first Solana STO.