Morgan Stanley, Citigroup Deepen Push Into Crypto Services

Published at 2026-02-28 09:15:11

Morgan Stanley and Citigroup are stepping up efforts to broaden crypto services for institutional clients, increasing focus on custody, prime brokerage, trading and tokenized-asset platforms. Recent hiring, public product roadmaps and new partnership activity suggest both banks are rolling out pilot programs and refining custody and compliance suites to accommodate larger institutional flows.

The push matters because deeper bank participation can channel more institutional capital into digital assets and lend mainstream credibility and regulated rails to a still-maturing market. It also heightens competition with crypto-native firms and raises regulatory scrutiny as banks scale exposure. For investors, the trend promises easier, more compliant access and greater liquidity, while regulators and clients will be watching how risk controls and custody protections evolve.

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