--- title: "Barron’s: Morgan Stanley Is Betting Big on Digital Assets, Workplace Services, and Private Markets. How They Tie Together." description: Explore how Morgan Stanley is leveraging its acquisition of EquityZen to expand retail access to private markets and streamline share trading for issuers. Learn about the firm's vision for the future of private equity and digital assets. image: https://blog.equityzen.com/hubfs/unnamed-Jan-16-2026-03-20-39-7328-PM.png --- [![EquityZen](https://blog.equityzen.com/hubfs/equityzen-logo.svg "EquityZen")](https://equityzen.com/) - [Investments](https://equityzen.com/explore/) - [Explore](https://equityzen.com/explore-private-market/) - How it Works - [Investors](https://equityzen.com/investor/) - [Shareholders](https://equityzen.com/shareholder/) - [Institutions](https://equityzen.com/institutions/) - [Issuers](https://equityzen.com/issuers/) - [Financial Advisors](https://equityzen.com/financial-advisors/) - [Insights](https://blog.equityzen.com/) - [Login](https://equityzen.com/accounts/login/) - [Sign Up](https://equityzen.com/accounts/register/) [Back to insights](https://blog.equityzen.com) [Company News](https://blog.equityzen.com/tag/company-news) # Barron’s: Morgan Stanley Is Betting Big on Digital Assets, Workplace Services, and Private Markets. How They Tie Together. ![EquityZen](https://blog.equityzen.com/hs-fs/hubfs/image%20(5).png?width=96&height=96&name=image%20(5).png) Written by EquityZen • January 16, 2026 • 1 min read ![Barron’s: Morgan Stanley Is Betting Big on Digital Assets, Workplace Services, and Private Markets. How They Tie Together.](https://blog.equityzen.com/hs-fs/hubfs/unnamed-Jan-16-2026-03-20-39-7328-PM.png?width=1318&height=736&name=unnamed-Jan-16-2026-03-20-39-7328-PM.png) In this article Like this article? We are thrilled to be featured in a recent *Barron’s* article highlighting Morgan Stanley’s new strategy for 2026! As Morgan Stanley deepens its commitment to private markets, its agreement to acquire EquityZen serves as a cornerstone of this effort. By bridging the gap for private market transactions, we are helping a new generation of investors participate in growth opportunities once reserved for institutional giants. Read the full story on Barron's [here](https://www.barrons.com/advisor/articles/morgan-stanley-digital-assets-workplace-private-markets-c96cb2ff?mod=barronsgooglenews).  ###### Disclosure There are inherent risks in pre-IPO investments, including the risk of loss of the entire investment, illiquidity, and fluctuations in value and returns. Join Investors and Shareholders Exploring the Private Markets Today [![Get Started](https://no-cache.hubspot.com/cta/default/20754585/8e691282-6ef2-4809-87ba-5604efc0edbe.png)](https://cta-redirect.hubspot.com/cta/redirect/20754585/8e691282-6ef2-4809-87ba-5604efc0edbe) ### Related Articles ![EquityZen Announces Key Executive Promotions: Brian Griffith to Chief Business Officer and Sudesh Kulkarni to Chief Product Officer](https://blog.equityzen.com/hs-fs/hubfs/3-Apr-21-2025-06-58-35-1935-PM.png?width=812&height=446&name=3-Apr-21-2025-06-58-35-1935-PM.png) ##### EquityZen Announces Key Executive Promotions: Brian Griffith to Chief Business Officer and Sudesh Kulkarni to Chief Product Officer EquityZen, a leading marketplace for buying and selling private company equity, today announced the ... 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Market Views 8 min read #### The Potential to Shape the Future Join over 700,000 investors and shareholders accessing the private markets with EquityZen [![Get Started](https://no-cache.hubspot.com/cta/default/20754585/b1b6ba1b-ed6d-4097-8816-bcd01b3b9828.png)](https://cta-redirect.hubspot.com/cta/redirect/20754585/b1b6ba1b-ed6d-4097-8816-bcd01b3b9828) #### Company - [About](https://equityzen.com/about/) - [Careers](https://equityzen.com/careers/) - [Press](https://equityzen.com/press/) #### Policies & Disclosures - [Disclosures](https://equityzen.com/disclosures/) - [Business Continuity Plan](https://equityzen.com/bcp/) - [Privacy Policy](https://equityzen.com/privacy/) - [Allocation Policy](https://equityzen.com/allocation-policy/) - [Form CRS](https://equityzen.com/form-crs/) #### Help - [Help Center](https://help.equityzen.com/en/) - [Getting Started](https://help.equityzen.com/en/collections/5549447-getting-started) - [Status Page](https://status.equityzen.com/) #### Connect - [![Facebook](https://blog.equityzen.com/hubfs/facebook-1.svg)](https://www.facebook.com/EquityZen) - [![Instagram](https://blog.equityzen.com/hubfs/instagram-1.svg)](https://www.instagram.com/equityzen_/) - [![Vector (8)](https://blog.equityzen.com/hubfs/Vector%20(8).svg)](https://twitter.com/EquityZen) - [![Linked In](https://blog.equityzen.com/hubfs/linkedin-1.svg)](https://www.linkedin.com/company/equityzen) Investment opportunities posted on this website are "private placements" of securities that are not publicly traded, are subject to holding period requirements, and are intended for investors who do not need a liquid investment. Investing in private companies may be considered highly speculative and involves a high degree of risk, including the risk of substantial loss of investment. Investors must be able to afford the loss of their entire investment. See [our Risk Factors](https://equityzen.com/risk-factors/) for a more detailed explanation of the risks involved by investing through EquityZen’s platform.   EquityZen Securities LLC (“EquityZen Securities”) is a subsidiary of EquityZen Inc. EquityZen Securities is a broker/dealer registered with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and is a [FINRA](http://www.finra.org/)/[SIPC](https://www.sipc.org/) member firm.   Equity securities are offered through EquityZen Securities. Check the background of this firm on [FINRA’s BrokerCheck](https://brokercheck.finra.org/firm/summary/281820).   EquityZen Inc. was awarded a 2024 Fintech Breakthrough Award by Tech Breakthrough LLC on March 19, 2025, based on the prior year and covering calendar year 2024, and has compensated FinTech Breakthrough LLC for use of its name and logo in connection with the award. FinTech Breakthrough LLC is a third party and has no affiliation with EquityZen.   EquityZen created the ticker symbols referenced on this page for use solely on the EquityZen platform. They do not refer to any publicly traded stock. EquityZen does not have an affiliation with, formal relationship with, or endorsement from any of the companies featured and none of the statements on the site should be attributed to those companies.   “Market Activity” and other transactional data displayed on this website is compiled by EquityZen and is confidential and historical in nature. Unauthorized use, distribution or reproduction is prohibited. Transactional information does not guarantee future investment results. EquityZen cannot guarantee finding or approving a transaction at any displayed price.   EquityZen.com is a website operated by EquityZen Inc. ("EquityZen"). By accessing this site and any pages thereof, you agree to be bound by our [Terms of Use](https://equityzen.com/terms/). EquityZen and logo are trademarks of EquityZen Inc. Other trademarks are property of their respective owners. © 2026 EquityZen. All rights reserved. EquityZen 1 New York Plaza 12th floor New York, NY 10004 [Trustpilot](https://www.trustpilot.com/review/equityzen.com) [![Secured via DigiCert Extended Validation certificate](https://dioguwdgf472v.cloudfront.net/assets/equityzen/img/digicert-site-seal.png)](https://seal.digicert.com/seals/popup/?tag=eoBY_h-N&url=equityzen.com&lang=en_US&cbr=1411486682292) [![FINRA's BrokerCheck](https://dioguwdgf472v.cloudfront.net/assets/equityzen/img/broker-check.png)](https://brokercheck.finra.org/firm/summary/281820) [![SIPC](https://dioguwdgf472v.cloudfront.net/assets/equityzen/image/common/sipc.png)![FinTech Breakthrough Award](https://dioguwdgf472v.cloudfront.net/assets/equityzen/img/fintech-award.png)](https://www.sipc.org/) ```json { "@context" : "https://schema.org", "@type" : "BlogPosting", "author" : { "@type" : "Person", "name" : "EquityZen", "url" : "https://blog.equityzen.com/author/equityzen" }, "dateModified" : "2026-01-16T15:22:36.035Z", "datePublished" : "2026-01-16T15:22:36.000Z", "headline" : "Barron’s: Morgan Stanley Is Betting Big on Digital Assets, Workplace Services, and Private Markets. How They Tie Together.", "image" : [ "https://blog.equityzen.com/hubfs/unnamed-Jan-16-2026-03-20-39-7328-PM.png" ], "mainEntityOfPage" : { "@id" : "https://blog.equityzen.com/barrons-morgan-stanley-is-betting-big-on-digital-assets-workplace-services-and-private-markets.-how-they-tie-together", "@type" : "WebPage" }, "publisher" : { "@type" : "Organization", "logo" : { "@type" : "ImageObject", "url" : "https://blog.equityzen.com/hubfs/EZ_logo_h_color-bk_RGB-1.png" }, "name" : "EquityZen, Inc." } } ```