Morgan Stanley · Risk factors

Our results of operations have been in the past and may, in the future, be materially affected by global financial market and economic conditions, including in particular by periods of low or slowing economic growth in the United States and other major markets, both directly and indirectly through their impact on client activity levels. These include the level and volatility of equity, fixed income and commodity prices; the level, term structure and volatility of interest rates; inflation and currency values; the level of other market indices, fiscal or monetary policies established by central banks and financial regulators; and uncertainty concerning the future path of interest rates, government shutdowns, debt ceilings or funding, which may be driven by economic conditions, recessionary fears, market uncertainty or lack of confidence among investors and clients due to the effects of widespread events such as global pandemics, natural disasters, climate-related incidents, acts of war or aggression, geopolitical instability, changes in U.S. presidential administrations or Congress, changes to global trade policies, supply chain complications and the implementation of tariffs or protectionist trade policies and other factors, or a combination of these or other factors.

The results of our Institutional Securities business segment, particularly results relating to our involvement in primary and secondary markets for all types of financial products, are subject to substantial market fluctuations due to a variety of factors that we cannot control or predict with great certainty. These fluctuations impact results by causing variations in business flows and activity and in the fair value of securities and other financial products. Fluctuations also occur due to the level of global market activity, which, among other things, can be impacted by market uncertainty or lack of investor and client confidence due to unforeseen economic, geopolitical or market conditions that in turn affect the size, number and timing of investment banking client assignments and transactions and the realization of returns from our principal investments.

Periods of unfavorable market or economic conditions, including equity market levels and the level and pace of changes in interest rates and asset valuation, may have adverse impacts on the level of individual investor confidence and participation in the global markets and/or the level of and mix of client assets, including deposits, which would negatively impact the results of our Wealth Management business segment.

Substantial market fluctuations could also cause variations in the value of our investments in our funds, the flow of investment capital into or from AUM, and the way customers allocate capital among money market, equity, fixed income or other investment alternatives, which could negatively impact the results of our Investment Management business segment.

The value of our financial instruments may be materially affected by market fluctuations. Market volatility, illiquid market conditions and disruptions in the markets may make it difficult to value and monetize certain of our financial instruments, particularly during periods of market uncertainty or displacement. Subsequent valuations in future periods, in light of factors then prevailing, may result in significant changes in the value of these instruments and may adversely impact historical or prospective fees and performance-based income (also known as incentive fees, which include carried interest) in respect of certain businesses. In addition, at the time of any sales and settlements of these financial instruments, the price we ultimately realize will depend on the demand and liquidity in the market at that time and may be materially lower than their current fair value. Any of these factors could cause a decline in the value of our financial instruments, which may adversely affect our results of operations in future periods.

In addition, financial markets are susceptible to severe events evidenced by rapid depreciation in asset values accompanied by a reduction in asset liquidity. Under these extreme conditions, hedging and other risk management strategies may not be as effective at mitigating trading losses as they would be under more normal market conditions. Moreover, under these conditions, market participants are particularly exposed to trading strategies employed by many market participants simultaneously and on a large scale, which could lead to increased individual counterparty risk for our businesses. Although our risk management and monitoring processes seek to quantify and mitigate risk to more extreme market moves, severe market events have historically been difficult to predict, and we could realize significant losses if extreme market events were to occur.

Concentration of risk may reduce revenues or result in losses in our market-making, investing, underwriting (including block trading) and lending businesses (including margin lending) in the event of unfavorable market movements. We commit substantial amounts of capital to these businesses, which often results in our taking large positions in the securities of, or making large loans to, a particular issuer or issuers in a particular industry, country or region. In the event we hold a concentrated position larger than those held by competitors, we may incur larger losses. For further information regarding our country risk exposure, see also “Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures about Risk—Country Risks.”

Credit Risk Credit risk refers to the risk of loss arising when a borrower, counterparty or issuer does not meet its financial obligations to us. For more information on how we monitor and manage credit risk, see “Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures about Risk—Credit Risk.”

We incur significant credit risk exposure through our Institutional Securities business segment. This risk may arise from a variety of business activities, including, but not limited to: extending credit to clients through various lending commitments; entering into swap or other derivative contracts under which counterparties have obligations to make payments to us; acting as clearing broker for listed and over-the-counter derivatives whereby we guarantee client performance to clearinghouses; providing short- or long-term funding that is secured by physical or financial collateral, including, but not limited to, real estate and marketable securities, whose value may at times be insufficient to fully cover the loan repayment amount; posting margin and/or collateral and other commitments to clearinghouses, clearing agencies, exchanges, banks, securities firms and other financial counterparties; and investing and trading in securities and loan pools, whereby the value of these assets may fluctuate based on realized or expected defaults on the underlying obligations or loans.

We also incur credit risk in our Wealth Management business segment lending to mainly individual investors, including, but not limited to, margin- and securities-based loans collateralized by securities, residential mortgage loans, including home equity lines of credit (“HELOCs”), and structured loans to ultra-high net worth clients, that are in most cases secured by various types of collateral whose value may at times be insufficient to fully cover the loan repayment amount, including marketable securities, private investments, commercial real estate and other financial assets.

Our valuations related to, and reserves for losses on, credit exposures rely on complex models, estimates and subjective judgments about the future. While we believe current valuations and reserves adequately address our perceived levels of risk, future economic conditions, including inflation and changes in real estate and other asset values, that differ from or are more severe than forecast, inaccurate models or assumptions, or external factors such as global pandemics, natural disasters, or geopolitical events, could lead to inaccurate measurement of or deterioration of credit quality of our borrowers and counterparties or the value of collateral and result in unexpected losses. We may also incur higher-than-anticipated credit losses as a result of (i) disputes with counterparties over the valuation of collateral or (ii) actions taken by other lenders that may negatively impact the valuation of collateral.

In cases where we foreclose on collateral, sudden declines in the value or liquidity of collateral may result in significant losses to us despite our (i) credit monitoring, (ii) over-collateralization, (iii) ability to call for additional collateral or (iv) ability to force repayment of the underlying obligation, especially where there is a single type of collateral supporting the obligation. In addition, in the longer term, climate change may have a negative impact on the financial condition of our clients, which may decrease revenues from those clients and increase the credit risk associated with loans and other credit exposures to those clients. Certain of our credit exposures may be concentrated by counterparty, product, sector, portfolio, industry or geographic region.

Although our models and estimates account for correlations among related types of exposures, a change in the market or economic environment for a concentrated product or an external factor impacting a concentrated counterparty, sector, portfolio, industry or geographic region may result in credit losses in excess of amounts forecast. For further information regarding our country risk exposure, see also “Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures about Risk—Country Risks.”

In addition, as a clearing member of several central counterparties, we are responsible for the defaults or misconduct of our customers and could incur financial losses in the event of default by other clearing members. Although we regularly review our credit exposures, default risk may arise from events or circumstances that are difficult to detect or foresee.

The commercial soundness of many financial institutions and certain other large financial services firms may be closely interrelated as a result of credit, trading, clearing or other relationships among such entities. Increased centralization of trading activities through particular clearinghouses, central agents or exchanges may increase our concentration of risk with respect to these entities. As a result, concerns about, or a default or threatened default by, one or more such entities could lead to significant market-wide liquidity and credit problems, losses or defaults by other institutions, or require financial commitments to multi-lateral actions intended to support market stability. This is sometimes referred to as systemic risk and may adversely affect financial intermediaries, such as clearinghouses, clearing agencies, exchanges, banks and securities firms, with which we interact on a daily basis and, therefore, could adversely affect us. See also “Systemic Risk Regime” under “Business—Supervision and Regulation—Financial Holding Company.”

Operational Risk Operational risk refers to the risk of loss, or of damage to our reputation, resulting from inadequate or failed processes or systems, from human factors (e.g., inappropriate or unlawful conduct) or from external events (e.g., cyberattacks or third-party vulnerabilities) that may manifest as, for example, loss of information, business disruption, theft and fraud, legal, regulatory and compliance risks, or damage to physical assets. We may incur operational risk across the full scope of our business activities, including revenue-generating activities and support and control groups (e.g., information technology ("IT") and trade processing). Legal, regulatory and compliance risk is included in the scope of operational risk and is discussed below under “Legal, Regulatory and Compliance Risk.” For more information on how we monitor and manage operational risk, see “Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures about Risk—Operational Risk.”

Our businesses are highly dependent on our ability to process and report, on a daily basis, a large number of transactions across numerous and diverse markets in many currencies. We may introduce new products or services or change processes or reporting, including in connection with new regulatory requirements, or integration of processes or systems of acquired companies, resulting in new operational risk that we may not fully appreciate or identify.

The trend toward direct access to automated, electronic markets and the move to more automated trading platforms has resulted in the use of increasingly complex technology that relies on the continued effectiveness of the programming code and integrity of the data to process the trades. We rely on the ability of our employees, our consultants, our internal systems and systems at technology centers maintained by unaffiliated third parties to operate our different businesses and process a high volume of transactions. Unusually high trading volumes or site usage could cause our systems to operate at an unacceptably slow speed or even fail. Disruptions to, destruction of, instability of or other failure to effectively maintain our IT systems or external technology that allows our clients and customers to use our products and services (including our self-directed brokerage platform) could harm our business and our reputation.

As a major participant in the global capital markets, we face the risk of incorrect valuation or risk management of our trading positions due to flaws in data, models, electronic trading systems or processes, or due to fraud or cyberattack. We also face the risk of operational failure or disruption of any of the clearing agents, exchanges, clearinghouses or other financial intermediaries we use to facilitate our lending, securities and derivatives transactions. In addition, in the event of a breakdown or improper operation or disposal of our or a direct or indirect third party’s systems (or third parties thereof), processes or information assets, or improper or unauthorized action by third parties, including consultants and subcontractors or our employees, we have received in the past and may receive in the future regulatory sanctions, and could suffer financial loss, an impairment to our liquidity position, a disruption of our businesses or damage to our reputation.

In addition, the interconnectivity of multiple financial institutions with central agents, exchanges and clearinghouses, and the increased importance of these entities, increases the risk that an operational failure at one institution or entity may cause an industrywide operational failure that could materially impact our ability to conduct business. Furthermore, the concentration of Firm and personal information held by a small number of third parties increases the risk that a breach or disruption at a key third party may cause an industrywide event that could significantly increase the cost and risk of conducting business. These risks may be heightened to the extent that we rely on third parties that are concentrated in a geographic area.

There can be no assurance that our business contingency and security response plans fully mitigate all potential risks to us. Our ability to conduct business may be adversely affected by a disruption in the infrastructure that supports our businesses and the communities where we are located. This may include a disruption involving physical site access; software flaws and vulnerabilities; cybersecurity incidents; terrorist activities; political unrest; disease pandemics; catastrophic events; climate-related incidents and natural disasters (such as earthquakes, tornadoes, floods, hurricanes and wildfires); electrical outages; environmental hazards; computer servers; communication platforms or other services we use; new technologies (such as generative artificial intelligence); and our employees or third parties with whom we conduct business.

Although we employ backup systems for our data, those backup systems may be unavailable following a disruption, the affected data may not have been backed up or may not be recoverable from the backup, or the backup data may be costly to recover, which could adversely affect our business.

Notwithstanding evolving technology and technology-based risk and control systems, our businesses ultimately rely on people, including our employees and those of third parties with whom we conduct business. As a result of human error or engagement in violations of applicable policies, laws, rules or procedures, certain errors or violations are not always discovered immediately by our technological processes or by our controls and other procedures that are intended to prevent and detect such errors or violations. These can include calculation or input errors, inadvertent or duplicate payments, mistakes in addressing emails or other communications, errors in software or model development or implementation, or errors in judgment, as well as intentional efforts to disregard or circumvent applicable policies, laws, rules or procedures.

Our use of new technologies may be undermined by such human errors or misconduct due to undetected flaws or biases in the algorithms or data utilized by such technologies. Human errors and malfeasance, even if promptly discovered and remediated, can result in material losses and liabilities for us, and negatively impact our reputation in the future.

We conduct business in various jurisdictions outside the U.S., including jurisdictions that may not have comparable levels of protection for their corporate assets, such as intellectual property, trademarks, trade secrets, know-how, and customer information and records. The protection afforded in those jurisdictions may be less established and/or predictable than in the U.S. or other jurisdictions in which we operate. As a result, there may also be heightened risks associated with the potential theft of their data, technology and intellectual property in those jurisdictions by domestic or foreign actors, including private parties and those affiliated with or controlled by state actors. Additionally, we are subject to complex and evolving U.S. and international laws and regulations governing cybersecurity, privacy and data governance, transfer and protection, which may differ and potentially conflict, in various jurisdictions.

Any theft of data, technology or intellectual property may negatively impact our operations and reputation, including disrupting the business activities of our subsidiaries, affiliates, joint ventures or clients conducting business in those jurisdictions.

Cybersecurity risks for financial institutions have significantly increased in recent years in part because of the proliferation of new technologies; the use of the internet, mobile telecommunications and cloud technologies to conduct financial transactions; and the increased sophistication and activities of organized crime, hackers, terrorists, nation-states, state-sponsored actors and other parties. Any of these parties may also attempt to fraudulently induce employees, customers, clients, vendors or other third parties or users of our systems to disclose sensitive information in order to gain access to our networks, systems or data or those of our employees or clients, and such parties may see their effectiveness enhanced by the use of artificial intelligence. Global events and geopolitical instability have also led to increased nation-state targeting of financial institutions in the U.S. and abroad.

Information security risks may also derive from human error, fraud or malice on the part of our employees or third parties, software bugs, server malfunctions, software or hardware failure or other technological failure. For example, human error has led to the loss of the Firm's physical data-bearing devices in the past. These risks may be heightened by several factors, including remote work, reliance on new technologies (such as generative artificial intelligence) or as a result of the integration of acquisitions and other strategic initiatives that may subject us to new technology, customers or third-party providers. In addition, third parties with whom we do business or share information, and each of their service providers, our regulators and the third parties with whom our customers and clients share information used for authentication, may also be sources of cybersecurity and information security risks, particularly where activities of customers are beyond our security and control systems.

There is no guarantee that the measures we take will provide absolute security or recoverability given that the techniques used in cyberattacks are complex, frequently change and are difficult to anticipate.

Like other financial services firms, the Firm, its third-party providers and its clients continue to be the subject of unauthorized access attacks; mishandling, loss, theft or misuse of information; computer viruses or malware; cyberattacks designed to obtain confidential information, destroy data, disrupt or degrade service, sabotage systems or networks or cause other damage; ransomware; denial of service attacks; data breaches; social engineering attacks; phishing attacks; and other events. There can be no assurance that such unauthorized access, mishandling or misuse of information, or cybersecurity incidents will not occur in the future and they could occur more frequently and on a more significant scale.

We maintain a significant amount of personal and confidential information on our customers, clients and certain counterparties that we are required to protect under various state, federal and international data protection and privacy laws. These laws may be in conflict with one another or courts and regulators may interpret them in ways that we had not anticipated or that adversely affect our business. A cyberattack, information or security breach, or a technology failure of ours or of a third party could jeopardize our or our clients’, employees’, partners’, vendors’ or counterparties’ personal, confidential, proprietary or other information processed and stored in, and transmitted through, our and our third parties’ computer systems and networks.

Furthermore, such events could cause interruptions or malfunctions in our, our clients’, employees’, partners’, vendors’, counterparties’ or third parties’ operations, as well as the unauthorized release, gathering, monitoring, misuse, loss or destruction of personal, confidential, proprietary and other information of ours, our employees, our customers or of other third parties. Any of these events could result in reputational damage with our clients and the market, client dissatisfaction, additional costs to us to maintain and update our operational and security systems and infrastructure, violation of the applicable data protection and privacy laws, regulatory investigations and enforcement actions, litigation exposure, or fines or penalties, any of which could adversely affect our business, financial condition or results of operations.

Given our global footprint and the high volume of transactions we process; the large number of clients, partners, vendors and counterparties with which we do business; and the increasing sophistication of cyberattacks, a cyberattack or information or security breach could occur and persist for an extended period of time without detection. It could take considerable time for us to determine the scope, extent, amount and type of information compromised, and the impact of such an attack may not be fully understood. During such time we would not necessarily know the extent of the harm or how best to remediate it, and certain errors or actions could be repeated or compounded before they are discovered and remediated, if at all, all or any of which would further increase the costs and consequences of a cyberattack or information security incident.

While many of our agreements with partners and third-party vendors include indemnification provisions, we may not be able to recover sufficiently, or at all, under such provisions to adequately offset any losses we may incur. In addition, although we maintain insurance coverage that may, subject to policy terms and conditions, cover certain aspects of cyber and information security risks, such insurance coverage may be insufficient to cover any or all losses we may incur, and we cannot be sure that such insurance will continue to be available to us on commercially reasonable terms, or at all, or that our insurers will not deny coverage as to any future claim.

We continue to make investments with a view toward maintaining and enhancing our cybersecurity, resilience and information security posture, including investments in technology and associated technology risk management activities. The cost of managing cybersecurity and information security risks and attacks along with complying with new, increasingly expansive and evolving regulatory requirements could adversely affect our results of operations and business.

Liquidity Risk Liquidity risk refers to the risk that we will be unable to finance our operations due to a loss of access to the capital markets or difficulty in liquidating our assets. Liquidity risk also encompasses our ability (or perceived ability) to meet our financial obligations without experiencing significant business disruption or reputational damage that may threaten our viability as a going concern, as well as the associated funding risks triggered by the market or idiosyncratic stress events that may negatively affect our liquidity and may impact our ability to raise new funding. For more information on how we monitor and manage liquidity risk, see “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations—Liquidity and Capital Resources” and “Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures about Risk—Liquidity Risk.”

Liquidity is essential to our businesses. Our liquidity could be negatively affected by our inability to raise funding in the long-term or short-term debt capital markets, our inability to access the secured lending markets, our inability to attract and retain deposits, or unanticipated outflows of cash or collateral by customers or clients. Factors that we cannot control, such as disruption of the financial markets or negative views about the financial services industry generally, including concerns regarding fiscal matters in the U.S. and other geographic areas, could impair our ability to raise funding.

In addition, our ability to raise funding could be impaired if investors, depositors or lenders develop a negative perception of our long-term or short-term financial prospects due to factors such as an incurrence of large trading, credit or operational losses, a downgrade by the rating agencies, a decline in the level of our business activity, if regulatory authorities take significant action against us or our industry, or if we discover significant employee misconduct or illegal activity.

If we are unable to raise funding using the methods described above, we would likely need to finance or liquidate unencumbered assets, such as our investment portfolios or trading assets, to meet maturing liabilities or other obligations. We may be unable to sell some of our assets or we may have to sell assets at a discount to market value, either of which could adversely affect our results of operations, cash flows and financial condition.

The cost and availability of unsecured financing generally are impacted by (among other things) our long-term and short-term credit ratings. The rating agencies continue to monitor certain Firm-specific and industrywide factors that are important to the determination of our credit ratings. These include governance, capital adequacy, the level and quality of earnings, liquidity and funding, risk appetite and management, asset quality, strategic direction, business mix, regulatory or legislative changes, macroeconomic environment and perceived levels of support, and it is possible that the rating agencies could downgrade our ratings and those of similar institutions.

Our credit ratings also can have an adverse impact on certain trading revenues, particularly in those businesses where longer-term counterparty performance is a key consideration, such as OTC and other derivative transactions, including credit derivatives and interest rate swaps. In connection with certain OTC trading agreements and certain other agreements associated with our Institutional Securities business segment, we may be required to provide additional collateral to, or immediately settle any outstanding liability balance with, certain counterparties in the event of a credit rating downgrade.

Termination of our trading agreements could cause us to sustain losses and impair our liquidity by requiring us to find other sources of financing or to make significant payments in the form of cash or securities. The additional collateral or termination payments that may occur in the event of a future credit rating downgrade vary by contract and can be based on ratings by Moody’s Investors Service, Inc., S&P Global Ratings and/or other rating agencies. See also “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations—Liquidity and Capital Resources—Credit Ratings—Incremental Collateral or Terminating Payments.”

The Parent Company has no business operations and depends on dividends, distributions, loans and other payments from its subsidiaries to fund dividend payments and to fund all payments on its obligations, including debt obligations. Regulatory restrictions, tax restrictions or elections and other legal restrictions may limit our ability to transfer funds freely, either to or from our subsidiaries. In particular, many of our subsidiaries, including our bank and broker-dealer subsidiaries, are subject to laws, regulations and self-regulatory organization rules that, in certain circumstances, limit, as well as permit regulatory bodies to block or reduce, the flow of funds to the Parent Company, or that prohibit such transfers or dividends altogether, including steps to “ring fence” entities by regulators outside the U.S. to protect clients and creditors of such entities in the event of financial difficulties involving such entities.

These laws, regulations and rules may hinder our ability to access funds that we may need to make payments on our obligations. Furthermore, as a BHC, we may become subject to a prohibition or to limitations on our ability to pay dividends. The Federal Reserve, the OCC and the FDIC have the authority, and under certain circumstances the duty, to prohibit or to limit the payment of dividends or other capital actions by the banking organizations they supervise, including us and our U.S. Bank Subsidiaries. See “We may be prevented from paying dividends or taking other capital actions because of regulatory constraints or revised regulatory capital requirements” under “Legal, Regulatory and Compliance Risk” herein.

Our ability to raise funding in the long-term or short-term debt capital markets or the equity markets, or to access secured lending markets, has in the past been, and could in the future be, adversely affected by conditions in the U.S. and international markets and economies.

In particular, our cost and availability of funding in the past have been, and may in the future be, adversely affected by illiquid credit markets, interest rates and wider credit spreads. Significant turbulence in the U.S., the E.U. and other international markets and economies could adversely affect our liquidity and financial condition and the willingness of certain counterparties and customers to do business with us.

Legal, Regulatory and Compliance Risk Legal, regulatory and compliance risk includes the risk of legal or regulatory sanctions; material financial loss, including fines, penalties, judgments, damages and/or settlements; limitations on our business; or loss to reputation we may suffer as a result of our failure to comply with laws, regulations, rules, related self-regulatory organization standards and codes of conduct applicable to our business activities. This risk also includes contractual and commercial risk, such as the risk that a counterparty’s performance obligations will be unenforceable. It also includes compliance with AML, terrorist financing and anti-corruption rules and regulations. For more information on how we monitor and manage legal, regulatory and compliance risk, see “Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures about Risk—Legal, Regulatory and Compliance Risk.”

Like other major financial services firms, we are subject to extensive regulation by U.S. federal and state regulatory agencies and securities exchanges and by regulators and exchanges in each of the major markets where we conduct our business, including an increasing number of complex sanctions and disclosure regimes. These laws and regulations, which continue to increase in volume and complexity, significantly affect the way and costs of doing business and can restrict the scope of our existing businesses and limit our ability to expand our product offerings and pursue certain investments.

The Firm and its employees are subject to wide-ranging regulation and supervision, which, among other things, subject us to intensive scrutiny of our businesses and any plans for expansion of those businesses through acquisitions or otherwise, limitations on activities, a systemic risk regime that imposes heightened capital and liquidity and funding requirements and other enhanced prudential standards, resolution regimes and resolution planning requirements, requirements for maintaining minimum amounts of TLAC and external long-term debt, restrictions on activities and investments imposed by the Volcker Rule, comprehensive derivatives regulation, interest rate benchmark requirements, commodities regulation, market structure regulation, consumer protection regulation, tax regulations and interpretations, antitrust laws, trade and transaction reporting obligations, broadened fiduciary obligations and disclosure requirements.

New laws, rules, regulations and guidelines, as well as ongoing implementation of, our efforts to comply with, and/or changes to laws, rules, regulations and guidelines, including changes in the breadth, application, interpretation or enforcement of laws, rules, regulations and guidelines, could materially impact the profitability of our businesses and the value of assets we hold, impact our income tax provision and effective tax rate, expose us to additional theories of liability and additional costs, require changes to business practices or force us to discontinue businesses, adversely affect our ability to pay dividends and repurchase our stock or require us to raise capital, including in ways that may adversely impact our shareholders or creditors.

In addition, regulatory requirements that are imposed by foreign policymakers and regulators may be inconsistent or conflict with regulations that we are subject to in the U.S. and may adversely affect us.

We are required to submit once every two years to the Federal Reserve and the FDIC a resolution plan that describes our strategy for a rapid and orderly resolution under the U.S. Bankruptcy Code in the event of material financial distress or failure. If the Federal Reserve and the FDIC were to jointly determine that our resolution plan submission was not credible or would not facilitate an orderly resolution, and if we were unsuccessful in addressing any deficiencies identified by the regulators, we or any of our subsidiaries may be subject to more stringent capital, leverage, or liquidity requirements or restrictions on our growth, activities or operations, or after a two-year period, we may be required to divest assets or operations.

In addition, provided that certain procedures are met, we can be subject to a resolution proceeding under the orderly liquidation authority under Title II of the Dodd-Frank Act with the FDIC being appointed as receiver instead of being resolved under the U.S. Bankruptcy Code. The FDIC’s power under the orderly liquidation authority to disregard the priority of creditor claims and treat similarly situated creditors differently in certain circumstances, subject to certain limitations, could adversely impact holders of our unsecured debt. See “Business—Supervision and Regulation” and “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations—Liquidity and Capital Resources—Regulatory Requirements.”

Further, because both our resolution plan contemplates an SPOE strategy under the U.S. Bankruptcy Code and the FDIC has proposed an SPOE strategy through which it may apply its orderly liquidation authority powers, we believe that the application of an SPOE strategy is the reasonably likely outcome if either our resolution plan were implemented or a resolution proceeding were commenced under the orderly liquidation authority. An SPOE strategy generally contemplates the provision of adequate capital and liquidity by the Parent Company to certain of its subsidiaries so that such subsidiaries have the resources necessary to implement the resolution strategy, and the Parent Company has entered into a secured amended and restated support agreement with such entities, pursuant to which it would provide such capital and liquidity to such entities.

In addition, a wholly owned, direct subsidiary of the Parent Company, Morgan Stanley Holdings LLC (“Funding IHC”), serves as a resolution funding vehicle. The Parent Company has transferred, and has agreed to transfer on an ongoing basis, certain assets to the Funding IHC. In the event of a resolution scenario, the Parent Company would be obligated to contribute all of its material assets that can be contributed under the terms of the amended and restated support agreement (other than shares in subsidiaries of the Parent Company and certain other assets) to the Funding IHC. The Funding IHC would be obligated to provide capital and liquidity, as applicable, to certain supported subsidiaries, pursuant to the terms of the secured amended and restated support agreement.

The obligations of the Parent Company and of the Funding IHC, respectively, under the amended and restated support agreement are in most cases secured on a senior basis by the assets of the Parent Company (other than shares in subsidiaries of the Parent Company and certain other assets), and the assets of the Funding IHC, as applicable. As a result, claims of certain supported subsidiaries, including the Funding IHC, against the assets of the Parent Company with respect to such secured assets are effectively senior to unsecured obligations of the Parent Company.

Although an SPOE strategy, whether applied pursuant to our resolution plan or in a resolution proceeding under the orderly liquidation authority, is intended to result in better outcomes for creditors overall, there is no guarantee that the application of an SPOE strategy, including the provision of support to the Parent Company’s supported subsidiaries pursuant to the secured amended and restated support agreement, will not result in greater losses for holders of our securities compared with a different resolution strategy for us.

Regulators have taken and proposed various actions to facilitate an SPOE strategy under the U.S. Bankruptcy Code, the orderly liquidation authority and other resolution regimes. For example, the Federal Reserve requires top-tier BHCs of U.S. G-SIBs, including the Firm, to maintain adequate TLAC, including equity and eligible long-term debt, in order to ensure that such institutions have enough loss-absorbing resources at the point of failure to be recapitalized through the conversion of debt to equity or otherwise by imposing losses on eligible TLAC where the SPOE strategy is used. The combined implication of the SPOE resolution strategy and the TLAC requirement is that our losses will be imposed on the holders of eligible long-term debt and other forms of eligible TLAC issued by the Parent Company before any losses are imposed on the creditors of our supported subsidiaries without requiring taxpayer or government financial support.

In addition, certain jurisdictions, including the U.K. and E.U. jurisdictions, have implemented, or are in the process of implementing, changes to resolution regimes to provide resolution authorities with the ability to recapitalize a failing entity organized in such jurisdiction by writing down certain unsecured liabilities or converting certain unsecured liabilities into equity. Such “bail-in” powers are intended to enable the recapitalization of a failing institution by allocating losses to its shareholders and unsecured creditors. This may increase the overall level of capital and liquidity required by us on a consolidated basis and may result in limitations on our ability to efficiently distribute capital and liquidity among our affiliated entities, including in times of stress.

Non-U.S. regulators are also considering requirements that certain subsidiaries of large financial institutions maintain minimum amounts of TLAC that would pass losses up from the subsidiaries to the Parent Company and, ultimately, to security holders of the Parent Company in the event of failure.

We are subject to comprehensive consolidated supervision, regulation and examination by the Federal Reserve, including with respect to regulatory capital requirements, stress testing and capital planning. We submit, on at least an annual basis, a capital plan to the Federal Reserve describing proposed dividend payments to shareholders, proposed repurchases of our outstanding securities and other proposed capital actions that we intend to take. Our ability to take capital actions described in the capital plan is dependent on, among other factors, the results of supervisory stress tests conducted by the Federal Reserve and our compliance with regulatory capital requirements imposed by the Federal Reserve.

In addition, the Federal Reserve may change regulatory capital requirements to impose higher requirements that restrict our ability to take capital actions or may modify or impose other regulatory standards or restrictions that increase our operating expenses or constrain our ability to take capital actions. For additional information, see “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations—Liquidity and Capital Resources.”

As a global financial services firm, we face the risk of investigations and proceedings by governmental and self-regulatory organizations in all countries in which we conduct our business. These investigations and proceedings, as well as the amount of penalties and fines sought, continue to impact the financial services industry. Certain U.S. and international governmental entities have brought criminal actions against, or have sought criminal convictions, pleas, deferred prosecution agreements or non-prosecution agreements from financial institutions. Significant regulatory or law enforcement action against us could materially adversely affect our business, reputation, financial condition or results of operations, and increase our exposure to civil litigation.

Investigations and proceedings initiated by these authorities may result in adverse judgments, settlements, fines, penalties, disgorgement, restitution, forfeiture, injunctions or other relief, and have included and may in the future include requirements that the Firm admit certain conduct, which may result in increased exposure to civil litigation. In addition, these measures have caused and may in the future cause collateral consequences. For example, such matters could impact our ability to engage in, or impose limitations on, certain of our businesses.

As part of the resolution of certain investigations and proceedings, the Firm has been and may in the future be required to undertake certain measures and failure to do so may result in adverse consequences, such as further investigations or proceedings—both civil and criminal—and additional penalties, fines, judgments or other relief.

The Dodd-Frank Act also provides compensation to whistleblowers who present the SEC or CFTC with information related to securities or commodities law violations that leads to a successful enforcement action. As a result of this compensation, it is possible we could face an increased number of investigations by the SEC or CFTC.

We have been named, from time to time, as a defendant in various legal actions, including arbitrations, class actions and other litigation, as well as investigations or proceedings brought by regulatory agencies, arising in connection with our activities as a global diversified financial services institution. Certain of the actual or threatened legal or regulatory actions include claims for substantial compensatory and/or punitive damages or claims for indeterminate amounts of damages, or may result in material penalties, fines or other results adverse to us.

In some cases, the third-party entities that would otherwise be the primary defendants in such cases are bankrupt, in financial distress or may not honor applicable indemnification obligations. In other cases, including antitrust litigation, we may be subject to claims for joint and several liability with other defendants for treble damages or other relief related to alleged conspiracies involving other institutions. Like any large corporation, we are also subject to risk from potential employee misconduct, including noncompliance with policies, laws, rules and regulations, and improper use or disclosure of confidential information, or improper sales practices or other conduct.

We originate loans secured by commercial and residential properties. Further, we securitize and trade in a wide range of commercial and residential real estate and real estate-related assets and products. In connection with these activities, we have provided, or otherwise agreed to be responsible for, certain representations and warranties. Under certain circumstances, we may be required to repurchase such assets or make other payments related to such assets if such representations and warranties were breached, and may incur losses as a result. We have also made representations and warranties in connection with our role as an originator of certain loans that we securitized in CMBS and RMBS. For additional information, see Note 14 to the financial statements.

As a global financial services firm that provides products and services to a large and diversified group of clients, including corporations, governments, financial institutions and individuals, we face potential conflicts of interest in the normal course of business. For example, potential conflicts can occur when there is a divergence of interests between us and a client, among clients, between an employee on the one hand and us or a client on the other, or situations in which we may be a creditor of a client. Moreover, we utilize multiple brands and business channels, including those resulting from our acquisitions, and continue to enhance the collaboration across business segments, which may heighten the potential conflicts of interest or the risk of improper sharing of information.

We have policies, procedures and controls that are designed to identify and address potential conflicts of interest, and we utilize various measures, such as the use of disclosure, to manage these potential conflicts. However, identifying and mitigating potential conflicts of interest can be complex and challenging and can become the focus of media and regulatory scrutiny. Indeed, actions that merely appear to create a conflict can put our reputation at risk even if the likelihood of an actual conflict has been mitigated. It is possible that potential conflicts could give rise to litigation or enforcement actions, which may lead to our clients being less willing to enter into transactions in which a conflict may occur and could adversely affect our businesses and reputation.

Our regulators also have the ability to scrutinize our activities for potential conflicts of interest, including through detailed examinations of specific transactions. For example, our status as a BHC supervised by the Federal Reserve subjects us to direct Federal Reserve scrutiny with respect to transactions between our U.S. Bank Subsidiaries and their affiliates. Further, the Volcker Rule subjects us to regulatory scrutiny regarding certain transactions between us and our clients.

We have devoted significant resources to develop our risk management capabilities and expect to continue to do so in the future. Nonetheless, our risk management strategies, models and processes, including our use of various risk models for assessing market, credit, liquidity and operational exposures and hedging strategies, stress testing and other analysis, may not be fully effective in mitigating our risk exposure in all market environments or against all types of risk, including risks that are unidentified or unanticipated.

As our businesses change and grow, including through acquisitions and the introduction and application of new technologies, such as artificial intelligence, and the markets in which we operate evolve, our risk management strategies, models and processes may not always adapt with those changes. Some of our methods of managing risk are based upon our use of observed historical market behavior and management’s judgment. As a result, these methods may not predict future risk exposures, which could be significantly greater than the historical measures indicate.

In addition, many models we use are based on assumptions or inputs regarding correlations among prices of various asset classes or other market indicators and, therefore, cannot anticipate sudden, unanticipated, or unidentified market or economic movements, such as the impact of a pandemic or a sudden geopolitical conflict, which could cause us to incur losses.

Management of market, credit, liquidity, operational, model, legal, regulatory and compliance risks requires, among other things, policies and procedures to record properly and verify a large number of transactions and events, and these policies and procedures may not be fully effective. Our trading risk management strategies and techniques also seek to balance our ability to profit from trading positions with our exposure to potential losses.

While we employ a broad and diversified set of risk monitoring and risk mitigation techniques, those techniques and the judgments that accompany their application cannot anticipate every economic and financial outcome or the timing of such outcomes. For example, to the extent that our trading or investing activities involve less liquid trading markets or are otherwise subject to restrictions on sales or hedging, we may not be able to reduce our positions and, therefore, reduce our risk associated with such positions. We may, therefore, incur losses in the course of our trading or investing activities. For more information on how we monitor and manage market and certain other risks and related strategies, models and processes, see “Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures about Risk—Market Risk.”

There continues to be increasing concern over the risks of climate change and related environmental sustainability matters. The physical risks of climate change include harm to people and property arising from acute, climate-related events, such as floods, hurricanes, heatwaves, droughts, and wildfires and chronic, longer-term shifts in climate patterns, such as higher global average temperatures, rising sea levels and long-term droughts. Such events could disrupt our operations or those of our clients or third parties on which we rely, including through direct damage to physical assets and indirect impacts from supply chain disruption and market volatility. These events could impact the ability of certain of our clients or customers to repay their obligations, reduce the value of collateral, increase costs, including the cost or availability of insurance coverage, and result in other adverse effects.

The transition risks of climate change include policy, legal, technology and market changes. Examples of these transition risks include changes in consumer and business sentiment, related technologies, shareholder preferences and any additional regulatory and legislative requirements, including increased disclosure or carbon taxes. These risks could increase our expenses and adversely impact our strategies, including by limiting our ability to pursue certain business activities or offer certain products and services. Negative impacts to certain of our clients, such as decreased profitability and asset write-downs, could also lead to increased credit, counterparty and liquidity risk to us.

In addition, our reputation and client relationships may be adversely impacted as a result of our, or our clients’, involvement in certain practices that may have, or are associated with having, an adverse impact on climate change. Legislative or regulatory change regarding climate-related risks, including inconsistent requirements and uncertainties, could result in loss of revenue, or increased credit, market, liquidity, regulatory, compliance, reputational and other risks and costs.

Our ability to achieve our climate-related targets and commitments and the way we go about this could also result in reputational harm as a result of public sentiment, legislative and regulatory scrutiny (including from U.S. federal and state governments and foreign policymakers and regulators), litigation and reduced investor and stakeholder confidence. If we are unable to achieve our objectives relating to climate change or our current response to climate change is perceived to be ineffective or insufficient, or the way we respond is perceived negatively, our business and reputation may suffer.

The risks associated with, and the perspective of regulators, governments, shareholders, employees and other stakeholders regarding, climate change, as well as geopolitical events, continue to evolve rapidly, making it difficult to assess the ultimate impact on us of climate-related risks and uncertainties. As climate risk is interconnected with other risks, we have developed and continue to enhance processes to embed climate risk considerations into our risk management practices and governance structures. Despite our risk management practices, the unpredictability surrounding the timing and severity of climate-related events and societal or political changes in reaction to them make it difficult to predict, identify, monitor and mitigate climate risks.

In addition, the methodologies and data used to manage and monitor climate risk continue to evolve. Current approaches utilize information and estimates that have been derived from information or factors released by third-party sources, which may not reflect the latest or most accurate data. Climate-related data, particularly greenhouse gas emissions for clients and counterparties, remains limited in availability and varies in quality. Certain third-party information may also change over time as methodologies evolve and are refined. While we believe this information is the best available at the time, we may only be able to complete limited validation. Furthermore, modeling capabilities and methodologies to analyze climate-related risks, although improving, remain nascent and emerging. These and other factors could cause results to differ materially, which could impact our ability to manage climate-related risks.

Central banks around the world, including the Federal Reserve, have sponsored initiatives in recent years to replace LIBOR and replace or reform certain other interest rate benchmarks (collectively, the “IBORs”). A transition away from use of the IBORs to alternative rates and other potential interest rate benchmark reforms has been underway for a number of years.

These reforms have caused and may in the future cause such rates to perform differently than in the past, or to cease entirely, or have other consequences that are contrary to market expectations.

The ongoing market transition away from these interest rate benchmarks to alternative reference rates is complex and could have a range of adverse impacts on our business, securities, financial condition and results of operations, including:

•Adversely impacting the pricing, liquidity, value of, return on and trading for a broad array of financial products, including any securities, loans and derivatives that are included in our financial assets and liabilities that are linked to these interest rate benchmarks;

•Inquiries, reviews or other actions from regulators in respect of our (or the market’s) preparation, readiness, transition plans and actions regarding the replacement of a legacy interest rate benchmark with one or more alternative reference rates;

•Disputes, litigation or other actions with clients, counterparties and investors in various scenarios, such as regarding the interpretation and enforceability of provisions in IBOR-based products such as fallback language or other related provisions, including in the case of fallbacks to the alternative reference rates, any economic, legal, operational or other impact resulting from the fundamental differences between the IBORs and the various alternative reference rates or regarding the interpretation of applicable legislation, regulations or rules; and •Causing us to incur additional costs in relation to any of the above factors.

Other factors include the pace of the transition to the alternative reference rates, timing mismatches between cash and derivative markets, the specific terms and parameters for and market acceptance of any alternative reference rate, market conventions for the use of any alternative reference rate in connection with a particular product (including the timing and market adoption of any conventions proposed or recommended by any industry or other group), prices of and the liquidity of trading markets for products based on alternative reference rates, and our ability to further transition and develop appropriate systems and analytics for one or more alternative reference rates.

See also “Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations—Regulatory Requirements—Regulatory Developments and Other Matters.”

The financial services industry and all aspects of our businesses are intensely competitive, and we expect them to remain so. We compete with commercial banks, investment banking firms, brokerage firms, insurance companies, exchanges, electronic trading and clearing platforms, financial data repositories, investment advisers and sponsors of mutual funds, hedge funds, real assets funds and private credit and equity funds, energy companies, financial technology firms and other companies offering financial and ancillary services in the U.S. and globally, including, in certain instances, through the internet. We also compete with companies that provide online trading and banking services, investment advisory services, robo-advice capabilities, access to digital asset capabilities and services, and other financial products and services. We compete on the basis of several factors, including transaction execution, capital or access to capital, products and services, innovation, technology, reputation, risk appetite and price.

Over time, certain sectors of the financial services industry have become more concentrated, as institutions involved in a broad range of financial services have left businesses, been acquired by or merged into other firms, or have declared bankruptcy. Such changes could result in our remaining competitors gaining greater capital and other resources, such as the ability to offer a broader range of products and services and geographic diversity, or new competitors may emerge.

We have experienced and may continue to experience pricing pressures as a result of these factors and as some of our competitors seek to obtain market share by reducing prices, eliminating commissions or other fees, or providing more favorable terms of business. In addition, certain of our competitors may be subject to different and, in some cases, less stringent, legal and regulatory regimes than we are, thereby putting us at a competitive disadvantage. Some new competitors in the financial technology sector have sought to target existing segments of our businesses that could be susceptible to disruption by innovative or less regulated business models. For more information regarding the competitive environment in which we operate, see “Business—Competition” and “Business—Supervision and Regulation.”

We continue to experience price competition in some of our businesses. In particular, the ability to execute securities, derivatives and other financial instrument trades electronically on exchanges, swap execution facilities and other automated trading platforms, and the introduction and application of new technologies, including generative artificial intelligence, will likely continue the pressure on revenues. The trend toward direct access to automated, electronic markets will likely continue as additional markets move to more automated trading platforms. We have experienced and will likely continue to experience competitive pressures in these and other areas in the future.

Our people are our most important asset. We compete with various other companies in attracting and retaining qualified and skilled personnel. If we are unable to continue to attract, integrate and retain highly qualified employees or successfully transition key roles, or do so at levels or in forms necessary to maintain our competitive position, our performance, including our competitive position and results of operations, could be materially adversely affected. Our ability to attract and retain qualified and skilled personnel depends on numerous factors, some of which are outside of our control.

Compensation costs required to attract and retain employees may increase or the competitive market for talent may further intensify due to factors such as low unemployment, a strong job market and changes in employees’ expectations, concerns and preferences. The financial industry has experienced and may continue to experience more stringent regulation of employee compensation than other industries, which may or may not impact competitors. These more stringent regulations have shaped our compensation practices, which could have an adverse effect on our ability to hire or retain the most qualified employees.

We are subject to numerous political, economic, legal, tax, operational, franchise and other risks that are inherent in operating in many countries, including risks of possible nationalization, expropriation, price controls, capital controls, exchange controls, increased taxes and levies, minimum global tax regimes, cybersecurity, data transfer and outsourcing restrictions, regulatory scrutiny regarding the use of new technologies, prohibitions on certain types of foreign and capital market activities, limitations on cross-border listings and other restrictive governmental actions, as well as the outbreak of hostilities or political and governmental instability, including tensions between China and the U.S., the expansion or escalation of hostilities between Russia and Ukraine or in the Middle East or the initiation or escalation of hostilities or terrorist activity around the world and the potential associated impacts on global and local economies and our operations.

In many countries, the laws and regulations applicable to the securities and financial services industries and multinational corporations are uncertain, evolving and subject to sudden change or may be inconsistent with U.S. law. It may also be difficult for us to determine the exact requirements of local laws in every market or adapt to changes in law, which could adversely impact our businesses. Our inability to remain in compliance with local laws in a particular market could have a significant and negative effect not only on our business in that market but also on our reputation generally. We are also subject to the risk that transactions we structure might not be legally enforceable in all cases.

Various emerging market countries have experienced severe political, economic or financial disruptions, including significant devaluations of their currencies, defaults or potential defaults on sovereign debt, capital and currency exchange controls, high rates of inflation and low or negative growth rates in their economies. Crime and corruption, as well as issues of security and personal safety, also exist in certain of these countries. These conditions could adversely impact our businesses and increase volatility in financial markets generally.

A disease pandemic, such as COVID-19 and its variants, or other widespread health emergencies, natural disasters, climate-related incidents, terrorist activities or military actions, or social or political tensions, could create economic and financial disruptions in emerging markets or in other areas of the global economy that could adversely affect our businesses, or could lead to operational difficulties, including travel limitations and supply chain complications, that could impair our ability to manage or conduct our businesses around the world.

As a U.S. company, we are required to comply with the economic sanctions and embargo programs administered by OFAC and similar multinational bodies and governmental agencies worldwide, which may be inconsistent with local law. We and certain of our subsidiaries are also subject to applicable AML and/or anti-corruption laws in the U.S., as well as in the jurisdictions in which we operate, including the Bank Secrecy Act, the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act and the U.K. Bribery Act. A violation of a sanction, embargo program, AML or anti-corruption law could subject us, and individual employees, to a regulatory enforcement action, as well as significant civil and criminal penalties.

In connection with past or future acquisitions, divestitures, joint ventures, partnerships, minority stakes or strategic alliances (including with Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group, Inc. (“MUFG”)), we face numerous risks and uncertainties in combining, transferring, separating or integrating the relevant businesses and systems that may present operational and other risks, including the need to combine or separate accounting, data processing and other systems, management controls and legal entities, and to integrate relationships with clients, trading counterparties and business partners. Certain of these strategic initiatives, and integration thereof, may cause us to incur incremental expenses and may also require incremental financial, management and other resources.

In the case of joint ventures, partnerships and minority stakes, we are subject to additional risks and uncertainties because we may be dependent upon, and subject to liability, losses or reputational damage relating to systems, controls and personnel that are not under our control, and conflicts or disagreements between us and any of our joint venture partners or partners may negatively impact the benefits to be achieved by the relevant joint venture or partnership, respectively.

There is no assurance that any of our acquisitions, divestitures or investments will be successfully integrated or disaggregated or yield all of the positive benefits and synergies anticipated. If we are not able to integrate or disaggregate successfully our past and future acquisitions or dispositions, including aligning the processes, policies and procedures of the acquired entities with our standards, there is a risk that our results of operations, financial condition and cash flows may be materially and adversely affected.

Certain of our business initiatives, including expansions of existing businesses, may change our client or account profile or bring us into contact, directly or indirectly, with individuals and entities that are not within our traditional client and counterparty base and may expose us to new asset classes, services, competitors and new markets. These business activities expose us to new and enhanced risks, greater regulatory scrutiny of these activities, increased credit-related, sovereign, compliance and operational risks, as well as franchise and reputational concerns regarding the manner in which these assets are being operated or held, or services are being delivered.

For more information regarding the regulatory environment in which we operate, see also “Business—Supervision and Regulation.”