CoinShares Survey: Affluent Investors Doubled Down After February — SkimNews
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- CoinShares surveyed affluent investors across seven countries and found that the February 2026 crypto sell-off made respondents more likely to invest in digital assets in all seven, not less likely.
- Bitcoin was the most widely held digital asset, owned by 80% of digital asset investors on average, with 89% of BTC holders also owning other digital assets; 77% of respondents said BTC would play a significant role in the future global financial system.
- Survey respondents cited long-term appreciation and diversification as leading reasons for investing in crypto, with speculation ranking last — only 6% identified primarily as short-term traders, and 79% supported increased regulation of digital asset markets.
- Younger investors allocated more to digital assets than older investors in all seven countries, and roughly twice as much in four of them.
- Ric Edelman, founder of the Digital Assets Council of Financial Professionals and Edelman Financial Engines, said financial advisers remain slow adopters of digital assets, with many firms prohibiting advisers from discussing or offering crypto-related investments.
- Edelman challenged CoinShares' finding that average crypto allocations among affluent investors run around 10%, saying his research suggests 2% to 5% is more common — yet he personally recommends 10% to 40% allocations depending on risk tolerance.
- National Institute on Retirement Security found in an August survey that 77% of Americans view cryptocurrency in workplace retirement plans as risky, including 46% who consider it very risky — a figure that sits in tension with Edelman's recommended allocations.
Why it matters: Roughly 4 in 10 affluent investors in Switzerland, France, the US, and Germany said their advisers are overly cautious about crypto, while Edelman recommends 10-40% allocations — a gap that puts trillions in advised wealth at odds with both client appetite and one influential practitioner's guidance, and explains why some firms are moving to formally restrict crypto conversations on the advisory side.
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