Wealth Managers Slow to Allocate Crypto, But Intent Remains Strong
Wealth management professionals showed a growing interest in digital assets during a recent session hosted by Bitwise, but most still have not allocated client money to crypto. A poll of about 400 wealth managers revealed that two-thirds (67%) said they still had no crypto exposure in client portfolios. However, 60% indicated they intend to add an allocation within the next 12 months.
Interestingly, the same percentage (60%) also said they expect crypto prices to finish the year higher than current levels. The session itself covered a range of topics, including Bitcoin, Ethereum, Solana, Hyperliquid, stablecoins, tokenization, and regulatory issues.
The numbers reflect the views of those in attendance rather than a statistically representative sample of the entire wealth-management industry. However, they point to a familiar pattern: curiosity and planned action running ahead of actual deployment. This gap is consistent with larger industry data from Bitwise/VettaFi's 2026 Benchmark Survey.
According to this survey, 32% of financial advisors allocated to crypto in client accounts during 2025, up from 22% the year before. Access has also improved, with 42% of advisors now able to buy crypto for clients, compared to 35% in 2024. Among portfolios that already hold digital assets, a larger share now carry allocations above 2%.