Wall Street behemoth Morgan Stanley is expanding its recent push into crypto Exchange-Traded Funds (ETFs) and has filed a registration statement for an Ethereum (ETH) Trust with the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).
Morgan Stanley Files For Ethereum Trust
On Tuesday, banking giant Morgan Stanley submitted an S-1 form with the US SEC for its Morgan Stanley Ethereum Trust, which seeks to generate returns for investors by tracking the price of ETH and to “reflect rewards from staking a portion of the Trust’s ether.”
The SEC Filing shows that the bank “plans to engage one or more Staking Services Providers to conduct such Staking Activities,” using a staking model that “aims to maximize the portion of the Trust’s ether available for staking while controlling for liquidity and redemption risks.
Morgan Stanley files S-1 form for Ethereum ETF. Source: sec.gov
Nonetheless, the document doesn’t address key details, such as the exchange on which the fund will be listed, the Trust’s custodian, or the ticker. Morgan Stanley’s Ethereum ETF filing follows recent efforts to launch other investment products based on some of the largest cryptocurrencies by market capitalization.
As reported by Bitcoinst, the Wall Street giant announced that it had submitted preliminary filings for spot Bitcoin (BTC) and Solana (SOL) Trusts on Tuesday, seeking to hold and generate returns by tracking these two cryptocurrencies.
In a January 6 statement, the bank detailed that “Morgan Stanley Bitcoin Trust and Morgan Stanley Solana Trust are pending regulatory approval and would be passive investment vehicles that seek to track the performance of the price of the relevant cryptocurrency.”
Similar to its submitted Ethereum ETF, the Solana fund will include an allocation for staking, and plans to engage one or more third-party staking service providers to conduct these activities.
A Broader Crypto Push
Notably, Morgan Stanley’s crypto ETF move is part of a broader shift toward a more welcoming approach that expands the presence of traditional institutions in the digital assets industry.
This pivot follows US regulatory efforts led by the Trump administration to turn the country into the “crypto capital of the world.” Amid this major push, the SEC has published new generic listing standards for crypto-based ETFs, which have seen a successful run since their initial launch nearly two years ago.
In 2024, Morgan Stanley, which had built one of the most significant Bitcoin ETF holdings in the US, allowed its managers to offer the products as an investment option for its wealthy customers. This enabled access to individuals with a minimum of $1.5 million in assets and an aggressive risk tolerance.
In October 2025, it expanded its access to crypto fund investments for all clients, including those with retirement accounts, moving away from its previous customer restrictions. The shift allowed its financial advisors to present crypto funds to any client.
It also announced last year that it would enable trading of the largest cryptocurrencies, Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Solana, through its E-Trade subsidiary.
Ethereum trades at $3,216 in the one-week chart. Source: ETHUSDT on TradingView
