Morgan Stanley is a global financial powerhouse and one of America's premier investment banks, headquartered in New York City with a vast network of over 80,000 employees across 42 countries. The firm was born on September 16, 1935, when founders Henry Sturgis Morgan and Harold Stanley split from J.P. Morgan & Co. to comply with the Glass-Steagall Act, which mandated the separation of commercial and investment banking. The modern entity was shaped by its landmark 1997 merger with Dean Witter Discover & Co., after which it briefly operated as "Morgan Stanley Dean Witter" before reverting to its iconic name in 2001. Today, its core operations span institutional securities, wealth management, and investment management, serving clients from corporations to governments. Recognized as systemically important by the Financial Stability Board, the firm consistently ranks among the world's largest financial institutions, placing No. 61 on the 2023 Fortune 500 list.