Morgan Stanley, the largest wealth manager in the United States, is likely to face intense compliance scrutiny after permitting its entire team of financial advisers to start pitching spot Bitcoin exchange-traded funds (ETFs). This move has drawn criticism from crypto skeptic John Reed Stark, a former U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) official.
“By unleashing its legion of 15,000 brokers to pitch Bitcoin, Morgan Stanley has just voluntarily subjected themselves to what will likely become the largest SEC and FINRA examination sweep in history,” Stark wrote in an August 9 statement on X (formerly Twitter). He added, “Identifying violations will be like shooting fish in a barrel. So whoever Morgan Stanley’s current compliance director is — well, good luck with that.”
Stark explained that both the SEC and the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) will have immediate access to all records, documents, emails, texts, voicemails, and phone conversations related to Morgan Stanley’s Bitcoin sales to retail investors. “This resplendent, abundant, and easily accessible treasure trove of evidence will be available to the SEC and FINRA not only with the click of a mouse in the form of a request for documents or testimony but also upon demand during an on-site surprise ‘for-cause’ inspection,” Stark warned, calling the move “Morgan Stanley’s death wish.”
The criticism follows reports that Morgan Stanley authorized its 15,000 financial advisers to start recommending spot Bitcoin ETFs to high-net-worth clients. A source familiar with the matter confirmed to Cointelegraph on August 7 that the firm plans to endorse two Bitcoin ETF products: BlackRock’s iShares Bitcoin Trust and Fidelity’s Wise Origin Bitcoin Fund.
Crypto industry commentators believe Morgan Stanley’s move could be significant for Bitcoin. Haseeb Qureshi, managing partner at crypto venture fund Dragonfly, commented on X, “Expect to see some chunkier inflows in the second half of the year,” adding, “Can you imagine how big this is?”
Since the approval of spot Bitcoin ETFs on January 11, they have attracted $17.3 billion in inflows, according to data from Farside.
