US-based investment banking giant Morgan Stanley has taken another significant step in its Bitcoin exchange-traded fund (ETF) application. The company has submitted an updated file to the SEC, making a second amendment to its S-1 registration document related to its January application.
According to the new application, the fund, named “Morgan Stanley Bitcoin Trust,” is planned to be listed on the NYSE Arca platform under the ticker symbol “MSBT.” The filing also includes details regarding the fund’s structure.
Accordingly, the basket size is set at 10,000 shares, while the initial funding target is approximately $1 million with a “seed” basket of 50,000 shares. It was also announced that the company purchased two shares from the ETF on March 9th for audit purposes.
Details regarding the fund’s custody and operational processes have also begun to emerge. Accordingly, BNY Mellon will undertake the duties of cash custody, management, and transfer agency. Crypto asset custody and prime brokerage services will be provided by Coinbase.
The second update to the S-1 file indicates progress with the application, but it does not mean final approval. However, if approved, Morgan Stanley would become the first major US bank to directly issue a spot Bitcoin ETF.
On the other hand, the company had also filed a similar ETF application for Solana in January. However, no new updates have been shared regarding the Solana fund yet.
Morgan Stanley’s Head of Digital Asset Strategy, Amy Oldenburg, stated that the adoption of crypto ETFs is still in its early stages. Oldenburg noted that demand is largely coming from individual investors, but increased regulatory clarity could accelerate institutional interest.
*This is not investment advice.