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Morgan Stanley outlines custody structure for proposed Bitcoin ETF

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Morgan Stanley backs Cipher (CIFR) and TeraWulf (WULF), but is cool on Marathon (MARA)

Morgan Stanley (MS) has filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) a prospectus outlining the structure of the proposed Morgan Stanley Bitcoin Trust, revealing that the fund plans to use Coinbase Custody (COIN) and the Bank of New York Mellon (BNY) to safeguard its bitcoin holdings, according to a form S‑1 submitted.

The two institutions will serve as the trust’s bitcoin custodians, responsible for storing the digital assets and facilitating transfers related to share creations and redemptions.

The filing outlines a custody structure designed to mirror traditional institutional standards. Bitcoin will largely be held in offline cold storage vaults, where private keys remain disconnected from the internet to reduce hacking risks. A portion of the assets may temporarily move to trading wallets during ETF creation or redemption activity. The trust notes that custody insurance exists but is shared across customers and may not cover all potential losses.

BNY will also play several additional roles within the ETF structure. The bank will serve as the fund administrator, transfer agent, and cash custodian, handling accounting, shareholder records, and cash flows tied to ETF transactions.

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The ETF itself will be structured as a passive vehicle designed to track the price of bitcoin by holding the cryptocurrency directly rather than using derivatives or leverage.

The filing also states that the trust will calculate its net asset value using the CoinDesk Bitcoin Benchmark 4PM New York Settlement Rate, which aggregates trade data from major spot exchanges to determine the daily reference price for bitcoin.

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Crypto World

The Giving Block Reports Stablecoin Donations are on the Rise

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Cryptocurrencies, Donations, Charity, Stablecoin

The cryptocurrency fundraising platform Giving Block reported that it had seen a surge in donations with stablecoins in 2025 compared with previous years.

In its annual report released on Wednesday, the Giving Block said there had been a “major shift” in donations using stablecoins, particularly with Ripple USD (RLUSD) and Circle’s USDC (USDC). The platform reported that it had facilitated more than $100 million in crypto donations in 2025, with more than $32 million coming through USDC, RLUSD, Tether’s USDt (USDT), Dai (DAI), and other stablecoins.

“The trend is clear: stablecoins are no longer a side story in Crypto Philanthropy—they’re becoming one of its fastest-growing channels,” said the report.

Cryptocurrencies, Donations, Charity, Stablecoin
Source: The Giving Block

Notably, however, it was that $25 million in RLUSD may have come directly from Ripple Labs, which pledged the funds to the nonprofit organizations DonorsChoose and Teach For America in May. The Giving Block projected in its 2025 annual report that it could see up to $2.5 billion in total crypto donations.

Related: Spanish Red Cross launches privacy-first blockchain aid platform

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Givepact, another crypto donation platform, reported in July that stablecoins had “rapidly become the top donated asset in crypto philanthropy,” citing data from the Giving Block. The platform said that the payment stablecoin bill signed into law in the US in 2025 elevated the assets to “cash-equivalent” status, which “eliminates lingering concerns about issuer solvency, particularly for nonprofits relying on predictable donation value.”

“Even during bear markets, donors are willing to give in stablecoins — helping nonprofits avoid volatility and process donations faster,” said Givepact. “With the GENIUS Act now in place, this trend is accelerating. Stablecoins are no longer just convenient — they’re federally recognized and institutionally trusted.”

Stablecoin yield under scrutiny in US market structure bill

As the US Senate considers legislation to establish comprehensive market structure for digital assets, the issue of stablecoin rewards has divided many industry leaders and lawmakers. The Senate Banking Committee has not yet rescheduled a markup to address the bill after a January postponement, while the White House has had three meetings with industry leaders to discuss how the government might handle stablecoin yield.

On Tuesday, US President Donald Trump took to social media to urge banks not to hold market structure “hostage” over digital assets. Many crypto companies and interest groups oppose a ban on stablecoin rewards in the bill, whose text has yet to be finalized before a potential vote in the full Senate.

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