Morgan Stanley crypto custody trust charter targets US institutional clients

Morgan Stanley files for OCC charter

Morgan Stanley has applied for a national trust bank charter with the US Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, known as the OCC. The application, dated 18 February 2026, seeks approval for a new entity called Morgan Stanley Digital Trust, National Association. The trust bank charter would place its digital asset activities under federal banking supervision. Multiple financial and crypto media reports describe this filing as a de novo national trust bank application focused on digital assets.

Scope of planned digital asset services

The proposed Morgan Stanley Digital Trust plans to provide custody for certain digital assets. According to descriptions of the filing, the trust would support client investment activity through purchase, sale, swap and transfer of digital assets. Reports also state that the trust would facilitate customer staking of digital assets on a fiduciary basis.

"Morgan Stanley has applied with the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency to create a national trust bank, according to documents made public Friday.", 01 March 2026. — Banking Dive staff, News article, Banking Dive

Role in broader digital asset strategy

This charter effort fits into a wider Morgan Stanley digital asset strategy. Coverage of the bank’s plans describes a push to build a native custody and exchange platform for digital assets. Reports also mention filings for spot exchange-traded funds, or ETFs, on Bitcoin, Ethereum and Solana. Reports describe Morgan Stanley as managing around eight to nine trillion US dollars in client assets, which frames the potential scale of its digital asset services.

"Morgan Stanley intends to build a native custody and exchange platform for digital assets, said the firm’s head of digital asset strategy, Amy Oldenburg, at Strategy World on Feb. 25.", 26 February 2026. — Amy Oldenburg, Head of Digital Asset Strategy, Morgan Stanley