Morgan Stanley's E*TRADE Rolls Out Spot Crypto Trading for Eligible U.S. Clients

E*TRADE has completed a spot-crypto rollout as of July 16, giving eligible U.S. clients the ability to buy, sell and hold Bitcoin (BTC), Ethereum (ETH) and Solana (SOL) via the broker's website and mobile app. Trading is available 24/7 with market and limit orders. Order sizes range from $10 to $500,000, with pricing precision to eight decimal places. E*TRADE charges a flat 0.50% commission, and says there is no additional spread fee or markup. The launch extends crypto access to a platform that served 8.7 million self-directed households as of June 30, 2026, and integrates crypto into a familiar brokerage workflow by letting clients use linked brokerage cash as buying power rather than funding a separate crypto exchange balance. The initial lineup is limited to BTC, ETH and SOL, with Solana standing out as the third supported asset alongside the two largest cryptocurrencies. Positions are designed to sit within the broader portfolio view, emphasizing straightforward access rather than high-frequency crypto-native trading where repeated commissions could add up. Custody and transfer constraints remain. Crypto holdings are kept in a separate Zero Hash account linked to an eligible individual brokerage account, and transfers to external wallets are not yet available. As a result, clients can gain price exposure but cannot move BTC to self-custody hardware, use ETH in on-chain applications, stake SOL or send assets elsewhere. The assets are not covered by FDIC insurance or SIPC protection in this first phase. Morgan Stanley expects transfers to be enabled later in 2026, though details have not been published. Over time, the service is expected to transition from Zero Hash to Morgan Stanley Digital Trust, National Association, which is still being organized. The rollout aligns with Morgan Stanley's broader digital-asset push. Morgan Stanley Investment Management launched the Morgan Stanley Bitcoin Trust in April with a 0.14% sponsor fee, and later introduced a Stablecoin Reserves Portfolio aimed at regulated issuers seeking eligible reserve assets. Near-term success will hinge less on headline distribution and more on activation: whether clients open crypto accounts, generate meaningful trading volume, test transfer features once available, and ultimately push for staking and broader asset support over coming quarters.