Morgan Stanley has filed for a de novo national trust bank charter to custody digital assets and offer trading and staking services to clients, according to a public filing with the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC).
Morgan Stanley Seeks Permission to Custody Crypto Assets
1 March 2026 - 13:39 CET
By Sandmark staff
New custody unit
The application, listed on the OCC’s corporate applications table, shows the filing was received on 18 Feb for a proposed entity named Morgan Stanley Digital Trust, National Association. If approved, the charter would let the US financial firm set up a new unit in Purchase, New York, to hold cryptocurrencies on behalf of clients under federal supervision rather than relying exclusively on third-party custodians.
Morgan Stanley's initiative is the latest step in the bank's initiative to formalize and expand its crypto operations. It filed for regulatory approval to issue spot crypto ETP investment products in January and made staffing appointments for digital assets strategy. Obtaining an OCC national trust charter would place the vehicle under federal oversight and could reassure institutional investment companies that require regulated custody solutions.
Other OCC applications
Other banks and fintech firms have already sought federal charters or conversions to underpin stablecoin, tokenization and custody services. In December, the OCC conditionally approved charter applications from First National Digital Currency Bank, Ripple, BitGo, Fidelity and Paxos.
