Invest ideasNews
28 Jan 2026, 01:19
Morgan Stanley Creates Digital-Asset Strategy Post, Names Long-Serving Exec To Lead
Morgan Stanley has created a new role to coordinate its digital-asset strategy, tapping longtime executive Amy Oldenburg as the bank steps up its push into crypto. Oldenburg will sit within a firm-wide strategy and execution effort, according to an internal memo sent Monday by co-presidents Andy Saperstein and Dan Simkowitz, Bloomberg reported Tuesday. She comes from Morgan Stanley Investment Management, where she most recently led emerging-markets equity and oversaw digital-asset initiatives inside the unit. The appointment lands as the bank moves from offering access to crypto products to building a more complete toolkit. ETF Filings Mark Morgan Stanley’s Deeper Push Into Crypto In early January, Morgan Stanley Investment Management filed initial registration statements for exchange-traded products tied to Bitcoin and Solana, a clear signal it wants a larger foothold in regulated crypto exposure. The filings came as US rules around crypto market plumbing continue to evolve, drawing more traditional finance firms into the space. Reuters reported that Morgan Stanley’s ETF push is part of a broader trend of banks leaning further into digital assets under President Donald Trump’s administration. Risk Guidance Shapes How Clients Access Crypto On the brokerage side, Morgan Stanley has also said it plans to offer cryptocurrency trading on its E-Trade platform in the first half of 2026, using Zerohash for digital-asset infrastructure, with Bitcoin, Ether and Solana among the initial tokens. Within wealth management, the bank has started putting guardrails around how clients approach the asset class. A Global Investment Committee report described cryptocurrency as speculative and suggested allocations of about 2% to 4% depending on risk appetite, while likening Bitcoin to “digital gold.” Oldenburg’s new remit ties those strands together, giving Morgan Stanley a single senior point person to align product development, partnerships and execution as crypto moves further into mainstream markets. The post Morgan Stanley Creates Digital-Asset Strategy Post, Names Long-Serving Exec To Lead appeared first on Cryptonews .
28 Jan 2026, 00:48
Nomura’s Crypto Arm Laser Digital Eyes US Bank Charter: Report
Nomura-backed crypto firm Laser Digital has applied for a US banking licence, aiming to bring more of its digital asset business inside the regulated financial system. The Financial Times reported that the application was filed Tuesday with the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, seeking a national bank trust charter that would give Laser Digital a federal pathway rather than forcing it to chase custody permissions state by state. Laser Digital, which Nomura spun out in 2022, plans to offer spot trading in digital assets under the structure, and it does not plan to take direct deposits, the report said. The filing lands as more fintech and crypto firms test a friendlier licensing mood in Washington under President Donald Trump, with charter applications rising as companies try to move payments, custody, and stablecoin activity into a federal perimeter. Nomura-backed crypto group Laser Digital seeks US banking licence https://t.co/i225NTiHdI — Financial Times (@FT) January 27, 2026 OCC Bank Charter Process Can Stretch Beyond A Year An OCC charter typically runs in two stages, starting with conditional approval, then moving to final sign-off after the applicant shows it has the capital and operational readiness to run a bank, a process that can stretch well beyond a year. The backdrop has changed from the previous administration, when applicants often struggled to clear the initial bar, and some withdrew rather than wait out a long review. Laser Digital is not the only firm lining up. Trump-linked World Liberty Financial said earlier this month that its subsidiary applied for an OCC national trust bank charter tied to stablecoin operations. In Europe, Revolut has also shifted gears, dropping plans to buy a US lender and instead preparing a bid for a standalone US banking licence . FDIC Clears Path For New Corporate-Owned Banks Even outside fintech, the push is spreading. The FDIC recently approved deposit insurance applications from Ford and General Motors, clearing a path for the automakers to set up industrial banks in Utah. The OCC itself has a new leadership team in place, with Jonathan V. Gould sworn in as Comptroller of the Currency in July 2025. The numbers show how quickly interest has picked up. Freshfields reported that the OCC received 14 de novo charter applications in 2025 for limited purpose national trust banks, nearly matching the total from the prior four years combined. The post Nomura’s Crypto Arm Laser Digital Eyes US Bank Charter: Report appeared first on Cryptonews .
28 Jan 2026, 00:30
Bitcoin Is Getting Banked — 60% Of Leading US Banks Are Ready
Bitcoin is moving into mainstream banking in small, steady steps. What once seemed unlikely is becoming routine as traditional banks test ways to hold, trade, or lend against Bitcoin . Reports say a sizable slice of the biggest US banks are now planning real customer offerings. 60% Of Top Banks Preparing Bitcoin Products: River Study A study conducted by Bitcoin financial services firm River shows about 60% of the top 25 US banks are at some stage of building Bitcoin services, from custody to trading and client-facing products. This shift is not just talk; it shows up in boardroom plans and pilot projects across several large lenders. Banks Moving From Caution To Practical Steps For years, many banks kept their distance. But change came fast after clearer rules and big exchange-traded funds put Bitcoin on more mainstream radars. Spot ETF approvals and rising demand from big investors nudged banks to revisit their stance and to test practical, compliant ways to serve customers interested in digital assets. 60% of the top US banks are into bitcoin. pic.twitter.com/AqceDDfjDP — River (@River) January 26, 2026 Some major names are already on the record with pilot projects or new services. Reports mention that JPMorgan Chase is looking at crypto trading, Wells Fargo has rolled out credit and custody-linked offerings to institutional clients, and Citigroup is exploring custody and payments tied to tokenized assets. Those moves signal a shift from theory to products customers can use. How This Changes The Picture For Clients Customers could get simpler access to Bitcoin without needing separate crypto accounts. That means an investor might see Bitcoin as another line on a bank statement, with custody and reporting wrapped into services they already use. Some banks plan to partner with specialists to avoid taking on all the technical work themselves, keeping risk and compliance squarely in focus. Regulation, Risk, And The Role Of Policy Regulatory moves earlier in the year reopened options that were closed when tight capital rules made custody costly. Reports note that a change in guidance helped some banks resume or rethink custody services , and that the current political climate under US President Donald Trump has been described as more favorable to broader crypto adoption. These shifts are nudging banks to act where they had hesitated. Expect more pilot announcements and a slow roll of services into client offerings. Not every bank will move at the same speed. Some will stay cautious, others will move sooner. The practical test will be whether banks can offer secure custody, clear accounting, and easy reporting without taking on outsized risk. Featured image from Pexels, chart from TradingView
28 Jan 2026, 00:01
Tether Is Shaking Up the Gold Market With Massive Metal Hoard
There are roughly 370,000 nuclear bunkers in Switzerland, a legacy of the Cold War that are now rarely used. One of them, though, is a hive of activity.
27 Jan 2026, 21:39
Wall Street and gold break records while Bitcoin plays catch-up
The S&P 500 and gold have both reached new all-time highs.Bitcoin is also rising, though its recovery remains more tentative.
27 Jan 2026, 21:30
Standard Chartered warns that U.S. banks may lose up to $500 billion to stablecoins by 2028
A new analysis by Standard Chartered projects that U.S. banking institutions will lose upwards of $500 billion to U.S.-dollar-backed stablecoins by the end of 2028. The Standard Chartered Bank research found that regional U.S. banks would be most exposed to deposit losses from stablecoins. U.S. banks have grown increasingly concerned about stablecoin development in the jurisdiction. A new analysis compiled by Standard Chartered Bank revealed that the U.S. banking sector will lose upwards of $500 billion to dollar-backed stablecoins. According to the report, regional banks will be more exposed to deposit losses as yield-bearing stablecoins continue to gain momentum. Standard Chartered is concerned about stablecoins impact on the banking sector Standard Chartered researchers based their research and analysis on lenders’ net interest margin, which is the difference between what a bank pays out on deposits and what it earns on loans. Geoff Kendrick, global head of digital assets research at Standard Chartered, said that the U.S. banking sector faces “a threat as payment networks and other core banking activities shift to stablecoins.” The Standard Chartered analysis could reignite a war between crypto companies and banking institutions as regulations in the U.S. begin to take course. The U.S. government, under the Trump administration, passed the Guiding and Establishing National Innovation for U.S. Stablecoins (GENIUS) Act in July, establishing a legal federal framework for the regulation of stablecoin issuance and use in the country. The framework positioned America as a global leader in crypto asset litigation by recognizing dollar-backed stablecoins and dismissing risky algorithmic stablecoins that have a history of collapse. The regulation was heavily welcomed by crypto companies, especially stablecoin issuers who had suffered under heightened regulatory scrutiny from the previous Biden-Harris administration. However, the stablecoin act has created serious concerns that the dollar-pegged crypto assets may jeopardise the U.S. banking system. Although the GENIUS Act prohibits stablecoin issuers from offering any interest on issued stablecoins, banks say it left open a loophole that allows third parties, such as crypto exchanges, to offer yields on stablecoin deposits. Banks argue that the loopholes create new competition in their sector, which heavily relies on bank deposits to operate under the fractional-reserve banking system. A previous cryptopolitan report highlighted that leaders of the banking industry believe they could create a form of unregulated parallel banking that destabilizes the economy by drawing depositors away from the banking system. Bank of America CEO Brian Moynihan said in January that up to $6 trillion in bank deposits (approximately 30%-35% of total U.S. commercial bank deposits) could shift to the stablecoin market if Congress approves yield-bearing stablecoins. Crypto companies push back on bank run concerns However, crypto companies disagree with the idea and have aggressively pushed back on the claims, arguing that barring them from paying interest on stablecoins would be anti-competitive. Circle’s CEO, Jeremy Allaire, said that stablecoins do not threaten financial stability while speaking at the World Economic Forum in Davos. He highlighted that government money market funds offer yields on deposits and coexist with traditional banking institutions without posing a threat to credit markets or the broader financial sector, as banks initially claimed. The Senate Banking Committee postponed its vote on the Crypto market structure bill earlier this month to address concerns over “possible” bank runs. The news comes after Tether received regulatory green light to offer stablecoin services in the U.S. On January 27, Tether announced the launch of USA₮, a dollar-pegged stablecoin tailored for the U.S. market. The stablecoin issuer announced that USA₮ is regulated federally under the GENIUS Act. The launch strategically aligns with the increasing demand for stablecoin services in the U.S., which has primarily driven Circle’s growth. Before USA₮’s arrival, Circle’s USDC has been dominating the U.S. market. Reduced regulatory scrutiny and growing demand for stablecoins among U.S. institutions have fueled Circle’s growth. Circle’s USDC has outgrown Tether in two consecutive years, according to a previous report by Cryptopolitan. Don’t just read crypto news. Understand it. Subscribe to our newsletter. It's free .
