Morgan Stanley head of digital asset strategy Amy Oldenburg said at the Bitcoin 2026 Conference in Las Vegas that Bitcoin on US bank balance sheets is “not totally out of the question,” citing 16 months of regulatory progress while warning that Basel capital rules and Fed guidance still stand in the way.
Summary
- The Basel Committee’s 1,250% risk-weight on unbacked crypto makes direct Bitcoin balance-sheet exposure economically unviable for major banks under current rules.
- Morgan Stanley’s MSBT launched April 8 as the first US bank-affiliated Bitcoin ETP, hitting $100M in six days entirely through self-directed client demand with zero advisor involvement.
- The bank…
