**Morgan Stanley's Big Bet on Bitcoin ETFs**

Morgan Stanley has made a significant move into the crypto space, revealing it held around $188 million in BlackRock’s iShares Bitcoin Trust ETF as of June 30. This was disclosed in an Aug. 14 filing with the SEC. The firm also reported smaller investments in other Bitcoin and Ether-related ETFs, including Valkyrie, Fidelity, and Bitwise.

Interestingly, these investments came before Morgan Stanley allowed its advisors to recommend Bitcoin ETFs to clients, focusing on IBIT and FBTC. Former SEC official John Reed Stark hinted this could lead to extensive SEC and FINRA examinations.

Additionally, Morgan Stanley held $148,000 in Grayscale’s Bitcoin Trust and $1.6 million in Ark21Shares Bitcoin ETF. Meanwhile, Goldman Sachs reported over $238 million in similar crypto ETF shares.

Stay tuned as more traditional finance giants dive into the crypto market!