MORGAN STANLEY

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Management’s Discussion and Analysis

Balance Sheet

We monitor and evaluate the composition and size of our balance sheet on a regular basis. Our balance sheet management process includes quarterly planning, business-specific thresholds, monitoring of business-specific usage versus key performance metrics and new business impact assessments.

We establish balance sheet thresholds at the consolidated and business segment levels. We monitor balance sheet utilization and review variances resulting from business activity and market fluctuations. On a regular basis, we review current performance versus established thresholds and assess the need to re-allocate our balance sheet based on business segment needs. We also monitor key metrics, including asset and liability size and capital usage.

Total Assets by Business Segment

1. In connection with MSBNA’s acquisition of MSESE and the merging of the Fixed Income business of MSCS into MSBNA, the Firm updated its segment balance sheet allocation methodology in the first quarter of 2026. As a result of this update, certain liquid marketable securities and cash which were previously included in the Wealth Management balance sheet are included within the Institutional Securities balance sheet beginning in the current quarter to align with liquidity resources with segment activities.

2. Amounts include loans held for investment, net of ACL, and loans held for sale but exclude loans at fair value, which are included in Trading assets in the balance sheet (see Note 9 to the financial statements).

3. Other assets primarily includes premises, equipment and software, ROU assets related to leases, other investments and deferred tax assets.

A substantial portion of total assets consists of cash and cash equivalents, liquid marketable securities and short-term

receivables. In the Institutional Securities business segment, these arise from market-making, financing and prime brokerage activities, and in the Wealth Management business segment, these arise from banking activities. Liquid marketable securities arising from management of the investment portfolio are included in the balance sheets of the Institutional Securities and Wealth Management business segments. For further information, refer to Note 19 to the financial statements.

Liquidity Risk Management Framework

The core components of our Liquidity Risk Management Framework are the Required Liquidity Framework, Liquidity Stress Tests and Liquidity Resources, which support our target liquidity profile. For a further discussion about the Firm’s Required Liquidity Framework and Liquidity Stress Tests, see “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations—Liquidity and Capital Resources—Liquidity Risk Management Framework” in the 2025 Form 10-K.

At March 31, 2026 and December 31, 2025, we maintained sufficient liquidity to meet current and contingent funding obligations as modeled in our Liquidity Stress Tests.

Liquidity Resources

We maintain sufficient Liquidity Resources, which consist of HQLA and cash deposits with banks, to cover daily funding needs and to meet strategic liquidity targets sized by the Required Liquidity Framework and Liquidity Stress Tests. We actively manage the amount of our Liquidity Resources considering the following components: unsecured debt maturity profile; balance sheet size and composition; funding needs in a stressed environment, inclusive of contingent cash outflows; legal entity, regional and segment liquidity requirements; regulatory requirements; and collateral requirements.

The amount of Liquidity Resources we hold is based on our risk appetite and is calibrated to meet various internal and regulatory requirements and to fund prospective business activities. The Liquidity Resources are primarily held within the Parent Company and its major operating subsidiaries. The Total HQLA values in the tables immediately following are different from Eligible HQLA, which, in accordance with the LCR rule, also takes into account certain regulatory weightings and other operational considerations.

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Management’s Discussion and Analysis

Liquidity Resources by Type of Investment

1. HQLA is presented prior to applying weightings and includes all HQLA held in subsidiaries.

2. Primarily composed of unencumbered French, U.K., Japanese, German, Italian, and Spanish government obligations.

Liquidity Resources by Non-Bank and Bank Legal Entities 1

1. Liquidity Resources are presented as historically reported and have not been retrospectively adjusted to reflect the merger of the MSCS fixed income business into MSBNA and MSBNA’s acquisition of MSESE in the first quarter of 2026, as the Firm assesses these measures based on the legal-entity structures in effect during the applicable period.

Liquidity Resources may fluctuate from period to period based on the overall size and composition of our balance sheet, the maturity profile of our unsecured debt, and estimates of funding needs in a stressed environment, among other factors.

Regulatory Liquidity Framework

Liquidity Coverage Ratio and Net Stable Funding Ratio

We and our U.S. Bank Subsidiaries are required to maintain a minimum LCR and NSFR of 100%.

The LCR rule requires large banking organizations to have sufficient Eligible HQLA to cover net cash outflows arising from significant stress over 30 calendar days, thus promoting the short-term resilience of the liquidity risk profile of banking organizations. In determining Eligible HQLA for LCR purposes, weightings (or asset haircuts) are applied to HQLA, and certain HQLA held in subsidiaries is excluded.

The NSFR rule requires large banking organizations to maintain an amount of available stable funding, which is their regulatory capital and liabilities subject to standardized weightings, equal to or greater than their required stable funding, which is their projected minimum funding needs, over a one-year time horizon.

As of March 31, 2026, we and our U.S. Bank Subsidiaries are compliant with the minimum LCR and NSFR requirements of 100%.

Liquidity Coverage Ratio

1. Primarily includes U.S. Treasuries, U.S. agency mortgage-backed securities, sovereign bonds and investment grade corporate bonds.

Funding Management

We manage our funding in a manner that reduces the risk of disruption to our operations. We pursue a strategy of diversification of secured and unsecured funding sources (by product, investor and region) and attempt to ensure that the tenor of our liabilities equals or exceeds the expected holding period of the assets being financed. Our goal is to achieve an optimal mix of durable secured and unsecured financing.

We fund our balance sheet on a global basis through diverse sources. These sources include our equity capital, borrowings, bank notes, securities sold under agreements to repurchase, securities lending, deposits, letters of credit and lines of credit. We have active financing programs for both standard and structured products targeting global investors and currencies.

Treasury allocates interest expense to our businesses based on the tenor and interest rate profile of the assets being funded. Treasury similarly allocates interest income to businesses carrying deposit products and other liabilities across the businesses based on the characteristics of those deposits and other liabilities.

Secured Financing

For a discussion of our secured financing activities, see “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations—Liquidity and Capital Resources—Funding Management—Secured Financing” in the 2025 Form 10-K.

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Management’s Discussion and Analysis

Collateralized Financing Transactions

1. Included within Trading assets in the balance sheet.

See “Total Assets by Business Segment” herein for additional information on the assets shown in the previous table and Note 2 to the financial statements in the 2025 Form 10-K and Note 8 to the financial statements for additional information on collateralized financing transactions.

In addition to the collateralized financing transactions shown in the previous table, we engage in financing transactions collateralized by customer-owned securities, which are held in accordance with regulatory requirements. Receivables under these financing transactions, primarily margin loans, are included in Customer and other receivables in the balance sheet, and payables under these financing transactions, primarily to prime brokerage customers, are included in Customer and other payables in the balance sheet. Our risk exposure on these transactions is mitigated by collateral maintenance policies and the elements of our Liquidity Risk Management Framework.

Unsecured Financing

For a discussion of our unsecured financing activities, see “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations—Liquidity and Capital Resources—Funding Management—Unsecured Financing” in the 2025 Form 10-K.

Deposits

1. Amounts represent balances swept from client brokerage accounts.

2. Our Time deposits are predominantly brokered certificates of deposit.

3. Our deposits are primarily held in U.S. offices.

Deposits are primarily sourced from our Wealth Management clients and are considered to have stable, low-cost funding characteristics relative to other sources of funding. Each

category of deposits presented above has a different cost profile and clients may respond differently to changes in interest rates and other macroeconomic conditions. Total deposits in the current quarter increased primarily due to increases in Time deposits.

Borrowings by Maturity at March 31, 20261

1. Original maturity in the table is generally based on contractual final maturity. For borrowings with put options, maturity represents the earliest put date.

2. Includes only borrowings with original maturities greater than one year.

Borrowings of $372 billion as of March 31, 2026 increased compared with $349 billion at December 31, 2025, primarily due to non-bank issuances net of maturities and redemptions.

We believe that accessing debt investors through multiple distribution channels helps provide consistent access to the unsecured markets. In addition, the issuance of borrowings with original maturities greater than one year allows us to reduce reliance on short-term credit-sensitive instruments. Borrowings with original maturities greater than one year are generally managed to achieve staggered maturities, thereby mitigating refinancing risk, and to maximize investor diversification through sales to global institutional and retail clients across regions, currencies and product types.

The availability and cost of financing to us can vary depending on market conditions, the volume of certain trading and lending activities, our credit ratings and the overall availability of credit. We also engage in, and may continue to engage in, repurchases of our borrowings as part of our market-making activities.

For further information on Borrowings, see Note 12 to the financial statements.

Credit Ratings

We rely on external sources to finance a significant portion of our daily operations. Our credit ratings are one of the factors in the cost and availability of financing and can have an impact on certain trading revenues, particularly in those businesses where longer-term counterparty performance is a key consideration, such as certain OTC derivative transactions. When determining credit ratings, rating agencies consider both company-specific and industry-wide factors. See also “Risk Factors—Liquidity Risk” in the 2025 Form 10-K.

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Management’s Discussion and Analysis

Parent Company and U.S. Bank Subsidiaries Issuer Ratings at April 30, 2026

Incremental Collateral or Terminating Payments

In connection with certain OTC derivatives and certain other agreements where we are a liquidity provider to certain financing vehicles associated with the Institutional Securities business segment, we may be required to provide additional collateral, immediately settle any outstanding liability balances with certain counterparties or pledge additional collateral to certain clearing organizations in the event of a future credit rating downgrade irrespective of whether we are in a net asset or net liability position. See Note 6 to the financial statements for additional information on OTC derivatives that contain such contingent features.

While certain aspects of a credit rating downgrade are quantifiable pursuant to contractual provisions, the impact it would have on our business and results of operations in future periods is inherently uncertain and would depend on a number of interrelated factors, including, among other things, the magnitude of the downgrade, the rating relative to peers, the rating assigned by the relevant agency before the downgrade, individual client behavior and future mitigating actions we might take. The liquidity impact of additional collateral requirements is included in our Liquidity Stress Tests.

Capital Management

We view capital as an important source of financial strength and actively manage our consolidated capital position based upon, among other things, business opportunities, risks, capital availability and rates of return together with internal capital policies, regulatory requirements, such as the SCB, and rating agency guidelines. In the future, we may expand or contract our capital base to address the changing needs of our businesses.

Common Stock Repurchases

For additional information on our common stock repurchases, see Note 16 to the financial statements.

For a description of our capital plan, see “Liquidity and Capital Resources—Regulatory Requirements—Capital Plans, Stress Tests and the Stress Capital Buffer” herein.

Common Stock Dividend Announcement

For additional information on our common stock dividends, see “Liquidity and Capital Resources—Regulatory Requirements—Capital Plans, Stress Tests and the Stress Capital Buffer” herein.

For additional information on our common stock and information on our preferred stock, see Note 16 to the financial statements.

Off-Balance Sheet Arrangements

We enter into various off-balance sheet arrangements, including through unconsolidated SPEs and lending-related financial instruments (e.g., guarantees and commitments), primarily in connection with the Institutional Securities and Investment Management business segments.

We utilize SPEs primarily in connection with securitization activities. For information on our securitization activities, see Note 15 to the financial statements in the 2025 Form 10-K.

For information on our commitments, obligations under certain guarantee arrangements and indemnities, see Note 13 to the financial statements. For a further discussion of our lending commitments, see “Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures about Risk—Credit Risk—Loans and Lending Commitments” herein.