# Morgan Stanley Applies for Digital Asset Banking Charter

*Author: Jack Inabinet*
*Published: Feb 27, 2026*
*Source: https://www.bankless.com/read/news/morgan-stanley-applies-for-digital-asset-banking-charter*

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Morgan Stanley, a leading global financial services firm and U.S.-domiciled depository institution, has is seeking a *de novo* national trust bank charter for its newly formed digital asset subsidiary.

### What's the Scoop?
- **New Subsidiary:** Acting through a subsidiary bank holding company, Morgan Stanley applied on February 18th with the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) to receive a national trust bank charter for "Morgan Stanley Digital Trust, National Association" (MSDTNA).
- **Stablecoin Synergies: **National trust bank charter holders can offer nationwide asset custody, without needing to secure individual licenses at the state level. The license has been recently [obtained or sought](https://www.bankless.com/read/news/stripe-backed-bridge-secures-u-s-national-trust-banking-license) by numerous crypto companies that want to issue GENIUS Act-compliant stablecoins. According to Morgan Stanley's application, the newly formed bank will support its [Wealth Management](https://www.morganstanley.com/what-we-do/wealth-management) group.

### What's the Take:
Although Morgan Stanley's OCC application doesn't *explicitly *say so, we're fairly certain the bank will be using its "Morgan Stanley Digital Trust" to issue stablecoins and other tokenized assets in the near future.

> Morgan Stanley has applied to form a national trust bank focused on digital asset activities. [https://t.co/oeto1spkYw](https://t.co/oeto1spkYw) [pic.twitter.com/45oOFDDtNZ](https://t.co/45oOFDDtNZ)— Bank Reg Blog (@bank_reg) [February 27, 2026](https://twitter.com/bank_reg/status/2027408867093836017?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw)