Morgan Stanley launches a stablecoin reserve fund, positioning itself as a reserve manager for the stablecoin industry

Morgan Stanley's investment management division, MSIM, announced the launch of a stablecoin reserve portfolio fund (MSNXX), which is a government money market fund designed specifically for stablecoin issuers. It aims to provide a regulated and secure storage place for reserves held by issuers that back their tokenized fiat currency versions.

The fund only invests in the safest and most liquid instruments, such as U.S. Treasury bills (short-term loans to the U.S. government) and repurchase agreements (overnight loans secured by similar government securities), both of which aim for capital preservation. The fund's target net asset value is $1, meaning that the invested capital retains the same value upon redemption, avoiding price fluctuations; at the same time, the fund offers daily liquidity, allowing investors to redeem funds on any trading day without a waiting period or penalties.

Currently, the market capitalization of stablecoins has reached $316 billion, with tokens pegged to the U.S. dollar, such as Tether and USDC, holding the majority share. Morgan Stanley's launch of the fund coincides with the advancement of the GENIUS Act in Congress. If passed, this act would legally require stablecoin issuers to back their tokens with high-quality liquid assets such as Treasury bills and cash-like instruments, and they must be held through regulated instruments. Thus, the fund is positioned to take on reserve management business ahead of regulatory mandates.

Additionally, Morgan Stanley Investment Management recently launched the Morgan Stanley Bitcoin Trust (MSBT), which is a cryptocurrency ETP that tracks Bitcoin, with custodial and fund management services provided by BNY Mellon. It has also collaborated with BNY Mellon to launch tokenized DAP class shares of an institutional liquidity fund Treasury securities portfolio, achieving blockchain-based mirror records while the official ledger remains retained by BNY Mellon.