Institutions Treat Crypto like Gold, Keep Allocations Modest

Bitwise Asset Management's recent survey of institutional investors reveals that most are keeping their cryptocurrency allocations modest, clustering between 1% and 2% of total investable assets. The full range spans from 0.5% to 13%, but the majority of institutions are treating crypto as a carefully measured hedge rather than a growth bet.

Every single institution in the survey that owns cryptocurrency holds Bitcoin as its primary digital asset, with 100% of respondents holding BTC. These institutions are positioning it as a store of value alongside gold, driven largely by concerns about fiat currency debasement.

Ethereum and Solana do make appearances in smaller, more speculative allocations. Notably, when crypto markets experienced a drawdown of approximately 50% between October 2025 and April 2026, not a single institution reduced its crypto holdings during that period, with many actually increasing them.