Morgan Stanley execs declare banker hours canceled — tokenization didn't get the memo first 🕐

Morgan Stanley executives said the era of the traditional 9-to-5 banking day is ending as financial markets shift toward 24/7 trading, settlement and asset movement, according to remarks made during a panel discussion on digital assets. Speaking on the panel, Betsy Graseck, Morgan Stanley's global head of banks and diversified finance research, framed tokenization as a rebuilding of core financial infrastructure rather than a cryptocurrency story. "I do phrase it as, look, this is the end of banker hours," Graseck said. "Your batch processing mentality is going to be a thing of the past." The comments were reported on July 29, 2026.

Graseck said investor demand is no longer centered solely on bitcoin or other cryptocurrencies, with institutions now examining tokenization for its potential to improve cash mobility, increase collateral efficiency and create new investment opportunities. She added that tokenized assets are expected to bring blockchain-based infrastructure to mainstream investors before many buy cryptocurrencies directly.

Morgan Stanley has steadily expanded its digital asset offerings over the past year. The firm recently began offering spot trading in bitcoin ($BTC at $63,913.58), ether ($ETH) and solana ($SOL) through its E*TRADE platform while broadening access to cryptocurrency ETFs for wealth management clients. On the asset management side, the bank launched its first spot bitcoin ETF earlier this year, followed this week by spot ether and solana ETFs, according to the firm.

Executives said the same always-on infrastructure pioneered by crypto markets is increasingly being applied to traditional assets, with banks, exchanges and custodians investing in technology that allows assets to move around the clock rather than only during business hours. Graseck warned that firms that fail to modernize their operational rails risk being left behind as flows migrate to digital asset systems.