Morgan Stanley Partners with ZeroHash for Crypto Trading

TLDR

• Morgan Stanley invests in ZeroHash's $104 million funding round.
• ZeroHash achieves unicorn status with $1 billion valuation.
• Partnership aims to enhance crypto trading for financial institutions.

Morgan Stanley, a major player in global finance with $1.7 trillion in client assets, is partnering with ZeroHash, a crypto and stablecoin infrastructure provider. This collaboration marks Morgan Stanley's first direct investment in digital asset infrastructure, a significant move toward integrating cryptocurrency trading within traditional financial services.

The partnership is part of a $104 million funding round led by ZeroHash. Other major participants include SoFi Technologies, Apollo Global Management, and Interactive Brokers. ZeroHash, founded in 2017, specializes in API-driven crypto trading, custody, settlement, and tokenization services. The investment round elevates ZeroHash's total capital to $275 million and gives the company a valuation of $1 billion, granting it unicorn status.

Strategic Moves and Financial Growth

According to ZeroHash CEO Edward Woodford, the funds will be used to expand the company’s product offerings, grow talent, and enhance its role in blockchain innovation. "This capital will accelerate product expansion, support talent growth, and further solidify its role in powering on-chain innovation for the world's leading financial institutions," Woodford stated in a press release dated September 23, 2025.

ZeroHash already supports over 50 clients, including major names like Interactive Brokers and Stripe. The significant investment from institutions such as Morgan Stanley and Apollo Global Management reflects an increasing interest in digital assets by traditional finance. The partnership will primarily impact BTC, ETH, stablecoins, and other tokenized assets enabled by ZeroHash’s infrastructure.

Future Prospects and Market Impact

ZeroHash aims to focus on the tokenization of real-world assets and enhancing AI-driven risk management. No specific figures on Total Value Locked (TVL) or shifts in on-chain liquidity have been disclosed by the company. Nonetheless, the inclusion of institutions like Morgan Stanley indicates potential growth in usage and integration of these technologies.

Historical events, such as investment rounds by firms like Circle and Fireblocks, suggest that such strategic moves could lead to increased adoption of cryptocurrencies and related services. Following these kinds of partnerships, there is often a rise in activity for custodial and onramp services, especially for coins like BTC, ETH, and USDC, which maintain a strong presence in institutional trading.

Regulatory Environment and Institutional Signals

Current U.S. regulatory frameworks appear more conducive to blockchain innovation, as indicated by Morgan Stanley’s investment in ZeroHash. Although no statements have been issued by the SEC or CFTC specifically regarding this funding round, the climate under current White House policy seems supportive of digital asset growth.

The partnership with ZeroHash highlights traditional finance sectors’ phased approach to adopting embedded crypto services and infrastructure. This collaboration could standardize backend processes within the digital asset sphere, signaling a potential change in how institutions manage and interact with Layer 1 assets.

For those interested in a more comprehensive understanding of ZeroHash's offerings, you can explore additional resources about their full-service digital asset marketplace.