Morgan Stanley plans to offer wealthy clients access to three funds that will enable ownership of Bitcoin, according to a person familiar with the matter.
Galaxy Digital runs two of the funds, and the third is overseen by FS Investments and NYDIG, the person said, asking not to be identified because the move hasn’t been announced publicly.
Only wealthy clients with “an aggressive risk tolerance” and at least $2 million held by the New York-based firm will have access to the funds. CNBC reported the decision earlier Wednesday.
Wall Street banks have stayed mostly on the sidelines as cryptocurrencies surged in popularity. While futures contracts based on Bitcoin and Ether, the second-largest digital currency, are available at major exchanges, none of the six biggest U.S. banks have until now offered their customers access.
Morgan Stanley Chief Executive Officer James Gorman was one of the first Wall Street leaders to lend credence to Bitcoin, saying in 2017 that it was more than just a fad. The firm flirted with the idea of trading a swap-based product tied to the cryptocurrency that could give clients synthetic exposure to the coin, but it ultimately didn’t proceed.
Morgan Stanley’s head of digital-asset markets, Andrew Peel, has said in recent months the bank has fielded more interest in Bitcoin from traditional financial firms.
The "Crypto Mom" departure would leave the SEC commission with just two members and no Democratic commissioners on the panel.
IFP Securities’ owner, Bill Hamm, has a long-term plan for the firm and its 279 financial advisors.
Meanwhile, a Osaic and Envestnet ink a new adaptive wealthtech partnership to better support the firm's 10,000-plus advisors, and RIA-focused VastAdvisor unveils native integrations with leading CRMs.
A former Alabama investment advisor and ex-Kestra rep has been permanently barred and penalized after clients he promised to protect got caught in a $2.6 million fraud.
As more active strategies get packaged into the ETF wrapper, advisors and investors have to look beyond expense ratios as the benchmark for value.
Wellington explores how multi strategy hedge funds may enhance diversification
As technical expertise becomes increasingly commoditized, advisors who can integrate strategy, relationships, and specialized expertise into a cohesive client experience will define the next era of wealth management
