{"id":902354,"date":"2026-04-29T04:28:06","date_gmt":"2026-04-29T09:28:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/2026\/04\/29\/why-strategy-ceo-sees-monster-demand-for-morgan-stanleys-bitcoin-etf\/"},"modified":"2026-04-29T04:28:06","modified_gmt":"2026-04-29T09:28:06","slug":"why-strategy-ceo-sees-monster-demand-for-morgan-stanleys-bitcoin-etf","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/2026\/04\/29\/why-strategy-ceo-sees-monster-demand-for-morgan-stanleys-bitcoin-etf\/","title":{"rendered":"Why Strategy CEO sees \u2018monster\u2019 demand for Morgan Stanley\u2019s Bitcoin ETF"},"content":{"rendered":"

Bitcoins <\/p>\n

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Is the market underestimating the potential impact of the upcoming Morgan Stanley spot Bitcoin ETF? Well, Strategy CEO Phong Le thinks so.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

According to him, the wealth management segment of the investment bank could easily flip BlackRock\u2019s IBIT. <\/span><\/p>\n

He <\/span>added<\/span><\/a>,\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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Morgan Stanley Wealth Management oversees about $8 trillion in AUM and recommends 0\u20134% bitcoin allocation. A 2% allocation would represent $160 billion, ~3X the size of IBIT. $MSBT: Monster Bitcoin.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

For perspective, BlacRock\u2019s iShares Bitcoin ETF (IBIT) currently leads the segment with a cumulative net inflow of $63 billion and assets under management (AUM) of $55 billion. Hence, the $160 billion projection would be three times bigger than IBIT\u2019s current AUM.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Bitcoins \u2018Still early?\u2019 \u2013 Why Morgan Stanley is betting on BTC<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Since the first wave of U.S. spot BTC ETFs debuted in early 2024, Morgan Stanley has mainly been a distributor, allowing advisors to recommend third-party offerings such as BlackRock\u2019s IBIT. For this, it captures commissions for the access.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

As of Q3 2025, BlackRock\u2019s IBIT was printing nearly $191 million in management fees and was the third-highest revenue-generating product in its ETF line-up.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

A few months later, Morgan Stanley applied to directly offer its BTC ETF product (MSBT). It <\/span>refiled<\/span><\/a> the application and could soon begin trading. This would eventually help it capture both the distribution and management fees.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

As the U.S. spot BTC ETFs enter their third year, and IBIT\u2019s dominance continues, one would wonder why Morgan Stanley is suddenly making its bold bet in the space now.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

According to Amy Odelnburg, the firm\u2019s head of crypto, the adoption was \u2018still early,\u2019 adding that current demand is mostly from self-directed investors rather than wealth-advisor-managed accounts.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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Even the distribution of these ETFs, about 80% of what we see on our platform, is coming through the self-directed business.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

The firm is eyeing BTC lending, trading, and even custody, and would be the first U.S. bank to directly offer a BTC ETF.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

That said, Joe Takayama of Backpack <\/span>cautioned<\/span><\/a> that the $160 billion projected demand could still be unrealistic, as allocation could be below 2% or even close to zero.\u00a0<\/span>Meanwhile, the strong recovery in BTC ETFs seen in early March has reversed, with consecutive daily outflows over the past three days of trading.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Amid the ongoing macro uncertainty, a sustained risk-off mode by ETF investors could derail BTC\u2019s<\/a> recovery. At the time of writing, the asset traded at $70K.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"bitcoins<\/a>
Source: Glassnode\u00a0<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Bitcoins Final Summary<\/h2>\n