Morgan Stanley Undercuts Rivals With 0.14% Fees for Ethereum and Solana ETFs

Wall Street giant Morgan Stanley has positioned itself as a cost leader in the cryptocurrency ETF arena, filing updated registration documents for spot Ethereum and Solana exchange-traded funds that feature a razor-thin 0.14% management fee—the lowest currently available in both markets.

The financial institution submitted its second-amended S-1 forms to the Securities and Exchange Commission, outlining plans for two products that will trade under the tickers MSSE for Ethereum and MSOL for Solana. This aggressive fee structure puts pressure on existing ETF providers who have typically charged between 0.20% and 0.25% for similar cryptocurrency products, potentially forcing industry-wide fee compression.

According to the registration filings, Morgan Stanley has selected a trio of prominent crypto infrastructure companies to handle staking operations: Figment, Galaxy Digital, and Coinbase Canada. The choice of multiple staking providers suggests a diversified approach to validator operations, which could appeal to institutional investors concerned about counterparty risk and network security.

The timing of these filings comes as traditional finance continues its steady march into digital assets. Ethereum ETFs have already attracted billions in institutional capital since their approval, while a spot Solana ETF would represent a significant expansion of crypto investment vehicles available to mainstream investors. Solana has emerged as a leading blockchain for decentralized applications, though it remains to be seen whether the SEC will greenlight these products.

Morgan Stanley’s fee war strategy mirrors competitive dynamics seen in traditional ETF markets, where basis points matter enormously to large institutional allocators. For crypto investors, lower fees mean better net returns over time, potentially accelerating adoption among price-sensitive portfolios. The move also signals that major banks view the crypto ETF market as strategically important enough to compete aggressively on price rather than simply collecting premium fees from early adopters.

Based on reporting by the original source.