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Bitcoin Goes Mainstream: Morgan Stanley, TD Bank, and Citi Announce Major BTC Plans

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Nexo Partners with Bakkt for US Crypto Exchange and Yield Programs

TLDR:

  • Morgan Stanley plans to offer Bitcoin trading, lending, yield, and custody services to clients in the near future.
  • TD Bank shifts focus to Bitcoin products, stablecoins, and tokenized deposits following a major regulatory stance change.
  • Citi aims to make Bitcoin bankable by adding BTC custody to its $30 trillion traditional asset management structure.
  • Bitcoin for Corporations event revealed that legacy banks are actively building BTC products driven by regulatory clarity.

Bitcoin is entering the core product lines of three major global financial institutions. Morgan Stanley, TD Bank, and Citi each announced plans to offer Bitcoin-related services.

These statements were made at the Bitcoin for Corporations event held last week. The event brought together Bitcoin-native builders and executives from traditional banking.

Regulatory clarity and rising client demand appear to be driving this shift forward. Together, these three banks mark a turning point for Bitcoin in mainstream finance.

Morgan Stanley and TD Bank Outline Their Bitcoin Service Plans

Amy Oldenburg, Head of Digital Asset Strategy at Morgan Stanley, spoke directly at the event. She stated that “2025 was incredible for the bank’s digital assets journey.”

Morgan Stanley has confirmed future plans to offer Bitcoin trading, lending, yield, and custody. These services represent a clear expansion of the bank’s digital asset capabilities going forward. Oldenburg’s confirmation indicates the bank is building a full-spectrum Bitcoin product suite for clients.

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Jeff Solomon, Special Advisor and Vice Chair at TD Bank, also addressed the gathering directly. He noted that “the regulatory stance on digital Assets has flipped from avoidance to adoption.”

This shift has opened new space for banks to build Bitcoin-based products confidently. TD Bank is now focused on delivering stablecoins, tokenized deposits, and Bitcoin products to customers. Solomon’s remarks reflect a growing confidence among legacy banks in digital asset integration.

Both banks reflect a clear trend taking shape across traditional financial institutions. Banks are no longer treating Bitcoin as a compliance risk to keep at arm’s length. Instead, they are building direct products that connect regulated clients to Bitcoin markets.

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The changing regulatory environment has played a central role in accelerating these decisions. Client interest has further pushed institutions to move from observation into active product development.

Citi Plans to Bring Bitcoin Into Its $30 Trillion Asset Management Structure

Nisha Surendran, Head of Digital Asset Custody at Citi Investor Services, shared a focused message. Her central idea was direct and clear: “make Bitcoin bankable.”

Later this year, Citi plans to bring Bitcoin into its $30 trillion asset management structure. The bank will start with institutional custody and key management as its first practical steps. These services allow clients to hold Bitcoin securely within a fully regulated financial environment.

Citi’s scale sets this move apart from other institutional Bitcoin efforts in the market. The bank currently manages $30 trillion in traditional assets across its global client base. Bringing Bitcoin into that structure could expose it to a broad range of institutional investors.

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Custody and key management lay the groundwork for deeper Bitcoin integration over time. They also build confidence for clients who want Bitcoin alongside their existing portfolio holdings.

The combined plans from Morgan Stanley, TD Bank, and Citi show Bitcoin’s growing place in traditional finance. Each bank is approaching digital assets from its own strategic angle.

Yet all three are moving toward offering Bitcoin-based products to institutional clients. This momentum shows that Bitcoin is no longer a fringe consideration for legacy banks. The coming months will reveal how quickly these commitments translate into actual client offerings.

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Crypto World

Morgan Stanley Sets Bitcoin ETF Fee at Ultra-Low 0.14%

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Morgan Stanley Sets Bitcoin ETF Fee at Ultra-Low 0.14%

Investment bank Morgan Stanley is seeking to launch its spot Bitcoin exchange-traded fund at a 0.14% fee, which would make it the cheapest in the US market and potentially force rivals to cut fees to stay competitive.

The 0.14% fee, proposed in Morgan Stanley’s latest S-1 registration statement on Friday, would be one basis point below the Grayscale Bitcoin Mini Trust ETF (BTC), currently the cheapest in the US market, and 11 basis points below the BlackRock-issued iShares Bitcoin Trust ETF (IBIT).

“Big move here. They are not messing around,” Bloomberg ETF analyst James Seyffart said, predicting that the Morgan Stanley Bitcoin Trust (MSBT) is “likely to launch in early April.”

Source: James Seyffart

Fellow Bloomberg ETF analyst Eric Balchunas said the low fee means that none of Morgan Stanley’s roughly 16,000 financial advisors — which manage $6.2 trillion in client assets — would feel conflicted in recommending the product to its clients.

Given that spot Bitcoin ETFs track the price movements of Bitcoin (BTC), Morgan Stanley’s ultra-low fee could spark a fresh fee war in the $83 billion market, putting immediate pressure on rivals to cut costs or risk losing assets.

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Regulatory approval would make Morgan Stanley the first bank to issue a spot Bitcoin ETF, expanding access to Bitcoin exposure for millions of its high-net-worth clients.

“They are the ultimate gatekeepers of rich boomer money,” Balchunas added.

Morgan Stanley previously selected Coinbase and Bank of New York Mellon as the proposed custodians for its Bitcoin ETF.

Morgan Stanley seeking suite of crypto ETFs, banking charter

Morgan Stanley, previously one of the more crypto-hesitant Wall Street firms, filed for the spot Bitcoin ETF in the first week of January, along with a Solana (SOL) ETF.

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Related: Bitcoin traders see 53% odds of sub-$66K BTC by April 24 

It then filed papers for a staked Ether (ETH) ETF later that week, and by the end of the month, the bank appointed one of Morgan Stanley’s longest-standing executives, Amy Oldenburg, to lead its digital asset team.

Source: James Seyffart

Morgan Stanley also applied for a national trust banking charter on Feb. 18, seeking to custody certain digital assets and execute purchases, sales and swaps for clients in addition to staking services.

In October, before the investment bank adopted its institutional crypto strategy, it recommended a 2% to 4% allocation to crypto portfolios for investors. It also allowed its financial advisors to recommend crypto funds to clients with individual retirement accounts (IRAs) and 401(k)s.

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