On April 8, 2026, trading of the spot Bitcoin ETF from Morgan Stanley under the ticker MSBT will officially begin on the NYSE Arca. This is the first Bitcoin-based exchange-traded fund launched by one of the largest banks in the United States.
This is reported by Business • Media
Details of the Spot Bitcoin ETF Launch
Information about the start of trading for MSBT was confirmed by NYSE Arca on the evening of April 7. Morgan Stanley filed for registration of spot ETFs for Bitcoin and Solana back in January 2026. The new fund has one of the lowest fees in the market—only 0.14%. In comparison, the fee for the popular iShares Bitcoin Trust (IBIT) is 0.25%.
Currently, MSBT is the largest spot Bitcoin ETF in the market. Its share exceeds 50% of the total assets under management. In comparison, its closest competitors—FBTC and GBTC—control approximately 15% and 10% of the market, respectively.
Expert Predictions and Expectations
Although the launch of MSBT is occurring more than two years behind other leading ETFs, experts believe that Morgan Stanley has a strong chance to solidify its position in the market due to its robust client base. According to Eric Balchunas, a Bloomberg Intelligence analyst, the bank has around 16,000 advisors who interact with the so-called Boomer generation, which controls over $6 trillion in capital.
“It won’t be able to outpace BlackRock and become the largest, but I believe it will succeed. Morgan Stanley’s advantage is its loyal audience. It has its own army of advisors,” Balchunas added in a comment to Decrypt.
According to the expert, the Morgan Stanley brand has significantly more influence compared to other ETF providers that have entered the market with similar products. The influx of new capital from the bank’s clients could serve as a catalyst for further growth in the spot Bitcoin ETF sector.
It is worth noting that Bitcoin recently demonstrated significant growth amid a ceasefire between the U.S. and Iran, which also affected sentiment in the cryptocurrency market.
