Morgan Stanley’s Digital Asset Chief Departs to Launch Tokenization Startup in Switzerland

Morgan Stanley’s Head of Digital Asset Markets, Andrew Peel, has officially stepped down to launch a new venture focused on tokenization and digital asset infrastructure, the executive confirmed in a LinkedIn post on Wednesday. Peel, who has led the bank’s digital asset strategy since 2018, was pivotal in integrating crypto into the institution’s broader financial offerings. His departure marks a significant moment in the continued migration of Wall Street talent into the blockchain and decentralized finance (DeFi) ecosystem. “Despite the volatility, I’ve always had strong conviction that Bitcoin and other quality crypto assets would become relevant for traditional finance,” Peel wrote. “The success of spot Bitcoin ETFs and the U.S. regulatory shift has more than validated that belief.” New Venture Targets Onchain Finance Peel’s next chapter centers around the launch of a crypto startup based in Zug , Switzerland—often referred to as “Crypto Valley” for its blockchain-friendly regulations and concentration of Web3 innovation. The company will build products designed to bridge traditional finance (TradFi) and decentralized finance by tokenizing real-world assets (RWAs). “As RWAs move onchain, TradFi will follow,” Peel told The Block in a direct message. “Building the infrastructure and products to meet them there is how we realize the future of onchain finance.” Peel emphasized the growing appetite from institutional capital to tap into DeFi’s yield opportunities and forecasted that traditional financial institutions will increasingly engage with decentralized infrastructure. A Broader Institutional Shift Toward Blockchain Peel’s transition reflects a larger trend in which traditional finance executives are turning to blockchain-native initiatives, spurred by rising regulatory clarity and growing institutional participation in digital assets. His leadership at Morgan Stanley helped position the bank at the forefront of the institutional crypto wave, aligning its services with emerging demand for custody, ETFs, and other crypto-linked products. With his new venture, Peel aims to build the next layer of infrastructure that will enable global financial institutions to securely interact with tokenized assets and decentralized applications. Reporter at Coindoo Kosta has been a part of the team since 2021 and has solidified his position with a thirst for knowledge, incredible dedication to his work and a “detective-like” mindset. He not only covers a wide range of trending topics, he also creates reviews, PR articles and educational content. His work has also been referenced by other news outlets. Related stories Next article !function(f,b,e,v,n,t,s){if(f.fbq)return;n=f.fbq=function(){n.callMethod?n.callMethod.apply(n,arguments):n.queue.push(arguments)};if(!f._fbq)f._fbq=n;n.push=n;n.loaded=!0;n.version='2.0';n.queue=[];t=b.createElement(e);t.async=!0;t.src=v;s=b.getElementsByTagName(e)[0];s.parentNode.insertBefore(t,s)}(window,document,'script','https://connect.facebook.net/en_US/fbevents.js');fbq('init','1188189499475368');fbq('track','PageView'); Source: https://coindoo.com/morgan-stanleys-digital-asset-chief-departs-to-launch-tokenization-startup-in-switzerland/