Morgan Stanley opens Digital Asset Lab to test stablecoins and DeFi vaults
Morgan Stanley has established a Digital Asset Lab to test stablecoins, tokenization, and DeFi tools in a segregated environment before integrating them with core banking systems.
Morgan Stanley has created an internal Digital Asset Lab to experiment with stablecoins, tokenization, and decentralized finance applications in isolation from its core banking platform, Bloomberg reported. The initiative explores blockchain technologies including tokenized deposits, money-market funds, central bank digital currencies, and 24/7 payment systems before potentially deploying them across the firm or rolling them out to clients.[1][2][4][6][7][8]
The new lab sits within Morgan Stanley's existing 20,000-square-foot network of innovation hubs spanning New York, Glasgow, and Bangalore, which historically handled electronic trading, cybersecurity, and machine learning. Megan Brewer, head of market innovation and labs, noted that up to 270 projects pass through the facilities each year, calling it the place where technology earns the right to scale across the firm.[2]
Amy Oldenburg, head of Morgan Stanley's digital-asset team, emphasized that the segregated setup keeps nascent blockchain tools from endangering the broader platform. Oldenburg singled out DeFi vaults as a focal point, stating that there is a reasonable path to seeing automated, code-managed vaults become part of the financial sector's future.[2][3][5]
Key facts
- Morgan Stanley created a Digital Asset Lab to test stablecoins, tokenization, CBDCs, and DeFi vaults in isolation from its core systems.
- The lab operates inside the bank's 20,000-square-foot network of innovation facilities across New York, Glasgow, and Bangalore.
- According to Megan Brewer, head of market innovation and labs, up to 270 projects pass through Morgan Stanley's innovation labs each year.
- Digital-asset team head Amy Oldenburg described the lab as a compliant and segregated environment, cautioning that the technology is too nascent to risk the rest of the bank's platform.
- Oldenburg specifically highlighted DeFi vaults as a key focus area, saying there is a reasonable path to vaults being part of the future.
- The initiative follows Morgan Stanley's preliminary OCC approval for a digital asset custody charter in June, a spot bitcoin ETF launch in April, and E*Trade crypto trading in July.
Sources · 8 sources
- TW
The Wolf Of All Streets@scottmelkerPost on X ·
BREAKING: MORGAN STANLEY LAUNCHES DIGITAL ASSET LAB TO TEST STABLECOINS, TOKENIZATION AND DEFI, INCLUDING TOKENIZED DEPOSITS, CBDCS AND TOKENIZED MONEY-MARKET FUNDS
Open source - UN
UnchainedArticle ·
Morgan Stanley Opens a Digital Asset Lab to Test DeFi Vaults Away From Its Core Systems Morgan Stanley has created a Digital Asset Lab where teams can try out stablecoins , tokenization and decentralized finance tools in isolation before any of them is allowed to connect to the bank’s systems, two executives told Bloomberg in a story published on Tuesday. The lab sits inside the firm’s existing network of innovation labs, which to date have handled work on electronic trading, cybersecurity and machine learning. Megan Brewer , who leads market innovation and labs at Morgan Stanley, said up to 270 projects a year pass through the labs. “It’s where technology earns the right to scale at the firm,” Brewer said. The labs cover 20,000 square feet in total, in locations that include New York, Glasgow and Bangalore. Amy Oldenburg , who heads the bank’s digital-asset team, said the new lab will provide “a secure, compliant and segregated environment to be able to test and explore some of these new areas of digital assets.” Her team also intends to trial tokenized money market funds, tokenized deposits and central bank digital currencies, according to Bloomberg. Get Unchained’s crypto news in your inbox with the free Unchained Daily newsletter . Why DeFi Vaults Made the List Oldenburg singled out DeFi vaults as a particular focus. A vault is an onchain pool that takes in deposits, frequently stablecoins, and uses smart contracts to allocate that capital across decentralized markets according to a set strategy. Depositors receive a token that tracks their share. For an asset manager, a vault works much like a fund, with parts of managing the portfolio and running the fund handled by code. “There is a very reasonable path to see vaults being part of the future going forward,” Oldenburg told Bloomberg. She added that the bank needs to understand how the technology works, saying “it is too nascent, we cannot put the rest of the platform at risk.” Morgan Stanley’s Year in Crypto In February, Morgan Stanley Digital Trust applied to the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) for a national trust bank charter that would cover digital asset custody, and the regulator granted it preliminary conditional approval in June. In April, the firm launched MSBT , a spot bitcoin ETF charging a 0.14% fee. E*Trade then rolled out spot trading in bitcoin, ether and solana on July 16 through a partnership with zerohash. Related Listen: Crypto Has Seen Drama Over ENS, BonkDAO and VVV. What Does DeFi’s Future Look Like? The post Morgan Stanley Opens a Digital Asset Lab to Test DeFi Vaults Away From Its Core Systems appeared first on Unchained .
Open source - LS
Laura Shin@laurashinPost on X ·
Amy Oldenburg, who heads Morgan Stanley's digital-asset team, sees "a very reasonable path to see vaults being part of the future," as the bank opens a lab to test DeFi tools before they touch its platform. https://t.co/13fTWsBybB
Open source - CN
crypto.news@cryptodotnewsPost on X ·
JUST IN: Morgan Stanley is testing stablecoins and other blockchain applications The bank’s new Digital Asset Lab is exploring 24/7 payments, DeFi services and tokenized traditional assets before potentially rolling the technology out across the firm and to clients. https://t.co/5t7I9JJrZL
Open source - FC
Frank Chaparro@fintechfrankPost on X ·
Morgan Stanley’s new Digital Asset Lab is another sign of how serious the firm is about bringing finance onchain. They’re exploring stablecoins, tokenized deposits, money-market funds and DeFi vaults, and I don’t expect them to slow down. The goal isn’t tokenization for tokenization’s sake. It’s rebuilding financial markets from the ground up. As Amy Oldenburg, Head of Digital Asset Strategy at Morgan Stanley, told me: “Tokenization isn’t the goal.” Here’s her two-minute overview on @GSR_io’s The Crypto Tape.
Open source - *B
*Walter Bloomberg@DeItaonePost on X ·
MORGAN STANLEY BUILDS CRYPTO LAB Morgan Stanley has launched a Digital Asset Lab to test stablecoins, tokenization and DeFi applications before deploying them across the bank. The firm will explore tokenized deposits, CBDCs, money-market funds and DeFi vaults that could automate investment strategies around the clock. With E*Trade crypto trading already launched, Morgan Stanley is increasingly exploring blockchain infrastructure for traditional finance.
Open source - BL
Bloomberg@businessPost on X ·
Morgan Stanley has set up a Digital Asset Lab to test technologies including stablecoins, tokenization and decentralized finance applications as the Wall Street bank explores how blockchain-based systems could be used across its business https://t.co/gQ3vA5uRLt
Open source - CO
CoinDesk@CoinDeskPost on X ·
JUST IN: @MorganStanley sets up a Digital Asset Lab to test stablecoins, tokenization and DeFi applications, giving employees a dedicated facility to explore blockchain technology without risk to the bank's core systems. https://t.co/OsRhcMWTze
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