A major Wall Street bank with $1.9 trillion in assets under management may introduce its bitcoin ETF on Wednesday, over two years after the first eleven spot bitcoin ETFs began trading in the U.S. Morgan Stanley’s Bitcoin Trust is expected to start trading on NYSE Arca with the ticker MSBT, as indicated by Bloomberg’s Eric Balchunas and an NYSE listing notice pointing to a launch date of April 8.
The ETF will hold physical bitcoins and follow the CoinDesk Bitcoin Benchmark 4 PM NY Settlement Rate. It avoids using leverage or derivatives to mitigate bitcoin’s volatility. BNY Mellon and Coinbase Custody will manage bitcoin storage, with the fund launching with $1 million in initial capital and 50,000 shares available for trading.
Investors can gain exposure to cryptocurrency without direct ownership responsibilities. The trust’s fee is notably low at 0.14% annually, compared to BlackRock’s iShares Bitcoin Trust at 0.25% and similar products.
This launch represents a significant development in the market, marking the first time a major U.S. bank offers a spot bitcoin ETF. It highlights growing interest in alternative assets like bitcoin.
Morgan Stanley is expanding its digital asset offerings, having filed for spot Solana ETFs earlier this year and planning to introduce bitcoin, ethereum, and solana trading on E*Trade by mid-2026 through a partnership with Zero Hash.
Spot ETFs have become popular among institutions seeking cryptocurrency exposure. Since their debut in January 2024, the first eleven funds have attracted over $56 billion in net inflows, according to SoSoValue data.
The derivatives linked to these products have seen increased activity. The options tied to iShares Bitcoin Trust were considered a factor in bitcoin’s price drop in early February.
These investment vehicles have contributed to Bitcoin’s integration into mainstream finance, helping stabilize its volatility. BTC’s implied volatility now more closely tracks the VIX – increasing during market downturns and decreasing during upswings.
The upcoming ETF from Morgan Stanley is expected to further these established trends.