Morgan Stanley Expands Institutional Crypto Access With Ethereum and Solana Funds

Morgan Stanley Investment Management has announced the launch of two new exchange-traded products designed to provide investors with structured exposure to Ethereum and Solana, the world’s second and fifth largest cryptocurrencies respectively. This development significantly expands the financial services firm’s cryptocurrency offerings beyond Bitcoin and represents an accelerating trend of institutional participation in digital assets.

Ethereum and Solana Trusts Offer Structured Exposure and Staking Participation

The newly launched Morgan Stanley Ethereum Trust and Morgan Stanley Solana Trust trade on NYSE Arca under the tickers MSSE and MSOL respectively. Each fund is engineered to track the market price of its underlying asset using CoinDesk’s benchmark data—the CoinDesk Ether Benchmark 4PM NY Settlement Rate for the Ethereum product and the CoinDesk Solana Benchmark 4PM NY Settlement Rate for the Solana product. Both funds carry an expense ratio of 0.14% annually, keeping investor costs competitive within the emerging market for cryptocurrency-focused exchange-traded products.

A significant feature distinguishing both trusts involves their planned participation in staking activities, a cryptocurrency mechanism whereby asset holders earn yields by supporting blockchain network operations and security. The Morgan Stanley funds are designed to allocate portions of their holdings toward staking, generating returns that accrue directly to fund holders. The company has made an explicit commitment that it will not retain any of the staking rewards earned by either fund, ensuring all generated yields pass through to investors without deduction.

Strategic Expansion Within Morgan Stanley’s Broader Crypto Initiative

The launch of these Ethereum and Solana trusts occurs within the context of a larger, coordinated cryptocurrency push by Morgan Stanley. In July 2026, the firm introduced spot cryptocurrency trading on its E*TRADE platform, enabling retail and institutional clients to buy, sell, and hold Bitcoin, Ether, and Solana directly. This retail offering was implemented through a partnership with Zero Hash, a cryptocurrency infrastructure provider that supplies the technological backbone for these transactions.

The E*TRADE platform expansion builds upon Morgan Stanley’s earlier entry into the cryptocurrency fund space. In April 2026, the company launched the Morgan Stanley Bitcoin Trust, which trades under the ticker MSBT on NYSE Arca. This product was particularly significant for making Morgan Stanley the first major U.S. commercial bank to offer a spot Bitcoin exchange-traded fund to its clients. The Bitcoin Trust demonstrated substantial market acceptance, accumulating more than $381 million in assets under management by mid-July 2026—approximately three months after its launch.

Institutional Adoption of Cryptocurrency Accelerates

The progressive expansion of Morgan Stanley’s cryptocurrency offerings reflects a fundamental shift in how traditional financial institutions approach digital assets. By providing regulated, institutional-grade exposure to multiple cryptocurrencies through various product structures and platforms, Morgan Stanley is systematically removing barriers to entry for investors seeking digital asset exposure. The inclusion of staking reward mechanisms differentiates these funds from basic price-tracking products, offering yield-generation features that appeal to income-focused portfolios and sophisticated investors.

Institutional participation by major banks like Morgan Stanley accelerates mainstream acceptance of digital assets across the broader crypto ecosystem.

Source: Morgan Stanley Investment Management, via Cointelegraph. Not financial advice.