Recent filings from Morgan Stanley, as well as updated research from Goldman Sachs, show how traditional finance is looking to position itself for the next phase of crypto growth. Crypto markets were shaped by online traders and short-term moves, but now large financial institutions are playing a major role in how digital assets are priced and trusted. From our perspective, these moves matter because they affect more than price action and influence how comfortable people feel using crypto in real-world environments, rather than just holding it as an investment.
Morgan Stanley has submitted filings for two new investment products: a Bitcoin Trust and a Solana Trust. Both are designed to track spot prices and hold the underlying asset directly, signaling long-term positioning beyond short-term trading. The Solana Trust also includes staking, enabling returns from locked tokens. This shows blockchain-native features are being integrated into traditional investment structures.
ETF activity reinforces institutional confidence. Spot bitcoin ETFs began 2026 with more than $1.1 billion in net inflows, with BlackRock’s iShares Bitcoin Trust accounting for a large portion of that capital.
Goldman Sachs doesn’t seem to wholeheartedly support the crypto sector; instead, it appears selective. It is expected that companies bridging traditional finance and digital assets will be the best performing ones. Coinbase can be seen as central to that view, and Goldman Sachs upgraded the stock, highlighting its growing focus on subscription revenue, custody services, and stablecoins. Regulation also features heavily in Goldman’s outlook, with the GENIUS Act seen as supportive of stablecoins and the CLARITY Act potentially opening the door to tokenised equities.
From our viewpoint at BitcoinVIP, these developments all point toward a market that is maturing. Institutional interest is shifting from short-term exposure to regulation and usability, which matters because confidence at the top reduces hesitancy across the entire crypto ecosystem. When banks commit capital and resources, it becomes easier for users to treat crypto as something they can actively use, not just hold.
Crypto users don’t tend to operate in a single area; the overlap among trading, betting, and gaming means signals from Wall Street influence multiple use cases at once. This is especially true when liquidity improves and uncertainty eases.
There are risks ahead. A change in interest rates can affect stablecoin revenue, and crypto-linked stocks still move unevenly. Yet the direction is becoming clearer: crypto is increasingly shaped by decisions made in traditional finance alongside Web3 innovation, and watching how institutions position themselves helps explain not just where prices may go, but how digital assets are likely to be used in the years ahead.
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