Swiss banking giant UBS, with assets under management (AuM) of up to $7 trillion, is set to launch Bitcoin trading for some of its clients. This comes amid predictions that regulatory clarity and broader adoption could send the BTC price to as high as $200,000. 

UBS To Offer Bitcoin Trading To Some Wealth Clients

Bloomberg reported that UBS is planning to launch crypto trading for some of its wealth clients, starting with its private bank clients in Switzerland. The bank will reportedly begin by offering these clients the opportunity to invest in Bitcoin and Ethereum. At the same time, the crypto offering could further expand to clients in the Pacific-Asia region and the U.S.

The banking giant is currently in discussions with potential partners, and there is no clear timeline for when it could launch Bitcoin and Ethereum trading for clients. This move is said to be partly due to increased demand from wealth clients for crypto exposure. UBS also faces increased competition as other Wall Street giants are working to offer crypto trading. 

Morgan Stanley, in partnership with Zerohash, announced plans to launch crypto trading in the first half of this year, starting with Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Solana. The banking giant may soon also be able to offer its crypto products, as it has filed with the SEC to launch spot BTC, ETH, and SOL ETFs. 

Furthermore, JPMorgan, another of UBS’ competitors, is considering offering crypto trading to institutional clients, although this plan is still in the early stages. The bank already accepts Bitcoin and Ethereum as collateral from its clients. Last year, it also filed to offer BTC structured notes that will track the performance of the BlackRock Bitcoin ETF.

Can Bank’s Entry Trigger A BTC Rally To $200,000  

Kevin O’Leary predicted that Bitcoin could rally to between $150,000 and $200,000 this year, driven by the passage of the CLARITY Act. His prediction came just as White House Crypto Czar David Sacks said banks would fully enter crypto once the bill passes. As such, there is a possibility that BTC could reach this $200,000 psychological level in anticipation of the amount of new capital that could flow into BTC from these banks once the bill passes. 

BitMine’s Chairman, Tom Lee, also predicted during a CNBC interview that Bitcoin could reach between $200,000 and $250,000 this year, partly due to growing institutional adoption by Wall Street giants. Meanwhile, Binance founder Changpeng “CZ” Zhao said that a BTC rally to $200,000 is the “most obvious thing in the world” to him.

At the time of writing, the Bitcoin price is trading at around $89,600, up in the last 24 hours, according to data from CoinMarketCap.

Bitcoin Magazine

Morgan Stanley Seeks SEC Approval for Spot Bitcoin ETF

Morgan Stanley has filed with U.S. regulators to launch a spot bitcoin exchange-traded fund, marking the first time a major U.S. bank has sought approval to issue an ETF tied directly to the price of bitcoin.

The filing, submitted to the Securities and Exchange Commission, proposes the Morgan Stanley Bitcoin Trust, an exchange-traded fund designed to track the price of bitcoin, net of fees and expenses. 

If approved, the fund would hold bitcoin directly rather than relying on futures, derivatives, or leverage, according to the registration statement.

The move places Morgan Stanley alongside asset managers that have dominated the bitcoin ETF market since regulators approved the first U.S. spot products in early 2024. 

Those funds now manage more than $120 billion in assets, representing a meaningful share of bitcoin’s total market value. Much of that growth has flowed into bitcoin-only products from firms such as BlackRock and Fidelity.

Morgan Stanley’s entry signals a shift by large banks from distributing third-party crypto products toward issuing their own. 

Until recently, U.S. banks largely limited their role to custody and brokerage services, citing regulatory uncertainty and risk controls. That stance has begun to change as federal agencies clarified how banks can engage with digital assets.

In December, the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency said banks may act as intermediaries for crypto transactions, narrowing the divide between traditional finance and digital markets. The SEC has also adjusted listing standards for spot crypto ETFs, smoothing the approval path for new issuers.

Morgan Stanley steps deeper into bitcoin

The proposed bitcoin trust would be sponsored by Morgan Stanley Investment Management. Shares would be created and redeemed in large blocks by authorized participants, either in cash or in kind. 

The fund’s net asset value would be calculated daily using a pricing benchmark based on activity across major spot bitcoin exchanges. Retail investors would trade shares on a secondary market through standard brokerage accounts.

For Morgan Stanley, the filing builds on steps taken last year to expand crypto access across its wealth management business. In October, the bank widened eligibility for crypto investments to include all clients and account types.

By offering a proprietary bitcoin ETF, the firm can integrate the product directly into client portfolios and retain management fees that might otherwise go to rival issuers.

The move also reflects the economics of the bitcoin ETF market. Spot bitcoin funds have become some of the fastest-growing products in the U.S. ETF industry, with steady inflows even during periods of price volatility. BlackRock’s bitcoin ETF emerged as one of the firm’s top revenue contributors within its first year.

Morgan Stanley also filed paperwork for a similar fund tied to Solana, but bitcoin remains the core focus of institutional demand. Most assets in U.S. crypto ETFs are concentrated in bitcoin products, while funds linked to other tokens have drawn limited capital.

This post Morgan Stanley Seeks SEC Approval for Spot Bitcoin ETF first appeared on Bitcoin Magazine and is written by Micah Zimmerman.

This move puts Morgan Stanley head-to-head with BlackRock and Fidelity in the exploding crypto ETF arena.

The post Morgan Stanley Files Bitcoin and Solana ETF Applications appeared first on TechRepublic.

This move puts Morgan Stanley head-to-head with BlackRock and Fidelity in the exploding crypto ETF arena.

The post Morgan Stanley Files Bitcoin and Solana ETF Applications appeared first on TechRepublic.