Crypto Wealth Enters a New Era as Institutional Activity Expands Beyond Bitcoin
The number of people holding significant digital-asset wealth has continued to grow in 2026, despite market volatility and regulatory challenges. According to Henley & Partners' Crypto Wealth Report 2026, there are now 135,694 crypto millionaires worldwide, with over 92,000 of them being Bitcoin millionaires.
This growth is not just about price appreciation or market capitalization; the wealth is becoming more distributed across a larger ownership base. Henley estimates that 742 million people hold digital assets, including approximately 371 million Bitcoin holders.
Crypto adoption has moved beyond its early-adopter phase, with Coinpedia's September 2026 global adoption research putting worldwide crypto ownership above 1.01 billion people. The difference between the two figures reflects differences in methodology and definitions.
Bitcoin remains the dominant asset at the top end of the crypto wealth pyramid, but institutional activity is expanding beyond BTC. Ethereum has developed its own institutional ecosystem through spot ETFs, corporate treasury strategies, staking, and tokenization.