Wealthy Investors Own Crypto, But Few Treat It As A Long-Term Asset

A new survey by Nexo, a digital assets wealth platform, reveals that while many affluent investors own cryptocurrency, few treat it as a long-term wealth asset. The 'Future of Digital Wealth 2026' report found that over 90% of affluent 18-25-year-olds surveyed say they own some crypto, but only 2% report owning it for 10 years or more.

Nexo argues that the biggest barriers to wider crypto adoption are increasingly practical ones, including security concerns, high fees, and complicated platforms. The survey also introduced the Crypto Integration Index (CII), a measure gauging how digital assets are included in an investor's financial plans. The average CII score was 4.83, suggesting wealthy investors are exposed to crypto, but more as a short-term speculative asset than long-term strategic hold.

According to Nexo analyst Iliya Kalchev, 'risk perception barely separates investors who've built real wealth with crypto from those who haven't.' However, what divides them is whether they've substituted traditional assets for crypto and folded it into retirement planning. Security concerns were cited as the leading problem among the most crypto-integrated investors.