Morgan Stanley is so deep into cryptocurrency, it launched its own Bitcoin Trust (MSBT). So it’s no surprise that “CRYPTO” appears often in the investment bank’s spectacular new, 21,000-square-foot digital display at its 1585 Broadway headquarters.
“Introducing crypto trading you can trust,” reads one of the ever-changing pitches on the sign’s half-dozen electronic ribbons.
The installation, which was lit up this week, replaced the one installed in 2015. That setup was turned off in phases starting in October 2023 and went dark in February 2024. After that, Times Square crowds were puzzled by seemingly endless construction and scaffolding that was finally dismantled in recent weeks.
One of Times Square’s largest digital displays, Morgan Stanley’s new installation features 31.5 million pixels, compared with a mere 6 million in 2015. It’s so big that four NBA basketball courts would fit within it, a source said, with room to spare.
It’s much more complex and colorful than its predecessor or Morgan Stanley’s original 1990s display of amber-colored stock tickers. Airier and less monolithic than the old ones, it highlights the bank’s many different businesses as the words zip above and below the tower’s windows between massive rounded turrets at the north and south ends.
The images include skylines, landscapes, moving trains and even 1930s photos of company founders Henry Morgan and Harold Stanley on six different “ribbons,” compared with three on the old sign.
Times Square Alliance president Tom Harris hailed the addition to the so-called “Bowl of Light” north of West 42nd Street.
“Broadway is a bit brighter thanks to Morgan Stanley’s significant investment in a new sign and facade upgrades to their global headquarters,” he said.
Morgan Stanley wouldn’t say how much the “investment” cost. But it was unlikely to be more than a rounding error compared with the financial institution’s $343 billion market capitalization.