Morgan Stanley's Bitcoin ETF Debuts as the Market's Cheapest Spot Option
ZH
Zane Hastings
Bitcoin ETF · Apr 17, 2026
Investors can now access spot Bitcoin through the cheapest available option on the New York Stock Exchange. The MSBT Bitcoin ETF, launched by Morgan Stanley on April 8, 2026, carries a 0.14% expense ratio, making it the cheapest spot Bitcoin ETF currently available.
This pricing strategy allows the fund to leverage Morgan Stanley's wealth management business, which manages trillion-dollar assets, to distribute the product to retail clients via managed portfolios. The fund attracted over $100 million in inflows within its first week of trading, the most successful ETF launch in the firm's history.
At this pace, MSBT is positioned to surpass the Invesco Galaxy, Valkyrie, and Franklin Bitcoin ETFs, which hold net inflows between $245 million and $375 million. The launch marks the first spot Bitcoin ETF issued by a major US bank, shifting the competition from asset managers to traditional banking institutions.
Despite the fund's initial demand, Morgan Stanley stock fell to $187.32, down 2.24%.