Wealth Managers Show Interest Despite Limited Crypto Exposure
Crypto interest is growing among wealth managers, but many remain on the sidelines.
During a Bitwise presentation attended by roughly 400 wealth managers, Head of Research Ryan Rasmussen reported that 60% of participants said they planned to allocate to crypto within the following year. At the same time, 67% said they did not currently have a crypto allocation.
Rasmussen shared the findings on Sept. 8 after presenting alongside Bitwise Chief Investment Officer Matt Hougan. The figures come from an audience poll connected to the presentation and should not be treated as a representative survey of the broader wealth-management industry.
The session covered several areas of the digital-asset market, including Bitcoin, Ethereum, Solana, Hyperliquid, stablecoins, tokenization and crypto regulation. Bitwise's September 2026 webinar similarly focused on crypto's expanding real-world applications and investment opportunities.
60% Expect Crypto Prices to Rise by Year-End
The poll also showed a bullish expectation among participants. Six in 10 respondents expected cryptocurrency prices to be higher by the end of the year, matching the 60% share that said they planned to make an allocation within 12 months.
Rasmussen said the presentation covered a broad range of crypto assets and financial applications. He wrote: “We covered bitcoin, ethereum, solana, hyperliquid, stablecoins, tokenization, crypto regulation, and more.”
The combination of limited current exposure and relatively strong future intentions highlights a gap between interest and actual portfolio allocation. Participants may still face investment-policy, regulatory, suitability or client-risk considerations before turning those intentions into actual positions.
Adviser Crypto Allocations Have Already Increased
Separate research from Bitwise and VettaFi indicates that crypto is becoming more common in financial-adviser portfolios.
The Bitwise/VettaFi 2026 Benchmark Survey found that 32% of financial advisers allocated to crypto in client accounts during 2025, up from 22% in 2024. The survey was based on 299 eligible respondents, making it a separate dataset from the roughly 400-person audience poll reported by Rasmussen.
The survey also found that 42% of advisers said they were able to purchase crypto in client accounts, compared with 35% in 2024 and 19% in 2023. Among client portfolios that already had crypto exposure, 64% had allocations above 2%.
Access Remains a Major Barrier
The broader adviser data suggest that access continues to influence whether financial professionals can add digital assets to client portfolios.
Although 32% of advisers reported allocating to crypto for clients in 2025, the majority had not yet done so. The 42% figure for advisers who could purchase crypto in client accounts also shows that investment access has expanded but is not yet universal.
The Bitwise/VettaFi survey found that stablecoins and tokenization attracted the most interest among emerging crypto themes, with 30% of respondents selecting them. Digital gold and fiat debasement followed at 22%, while crypto-linked artificial-intelligence investments received 19%.
This broader interest suggests that professional investors are evaluating crypto beyond simply buying Bitcoin or other individual tokens. Infrastructure, payments, tokenized assets and stablecoins are increasingly part of the discussion around potential portfolio exposure.
Institutional Investors Also Plan to Increase Allocations
The wealth-manager figures are consistent with separate research from Coinbase and EY-Parthenon, although the two datasets measure different groups.
A 2026 Coinbase and EY-Parthenon institutional investor survey surveyed 351 institutional decision-makers and found that nearly three-quarters planned to increase their crypto allocations in 2026. The survey also found that 74% expected crypto prices to rise over the following 12 months.
The institutional research showed that increased exposure is being accompanied by greater attention to risk controls. Forty-nine percent of respondents said market volatility had strengthened their focus on risk management, liquidity and position sizing.
Regulated Products Are Becoming a Preferred Route
The Coinbase and EY-Parthenon research also points to the growing importance of regulated investment products for professional investors.
About 66% of institutional respondents reported exposure through spot crypto ETFs or exchange-traded products, while 81% preferred accessing spot crypto through a registered vehicle.
That preference is important because regulated investment structures can provide institutional investors with a more familiar way to gain crypto exposure without requiring them to manage the underlying assets directly. It also reflects the growing role of traditional financial infrastructure in the digital-asset market.
Among institutions planning to increase their crypto exposure in 2026, 65% identified improved regulatory clarity as the leading factor behind that decision.
Bitcoin Remains Central to the Investment Conversation
Bitcoin continues to occupy a central position in discussions between digital-asset managers and traditional investors.
The wealth-manager presentation covered Bitcoin alongside Ethereum, Solana, Hyperliquid and other crypto sectors. Bitcoin's monetary characteristics and decentralized network have also made it the most established digital asset for institutions evaluating the broader market.
The interest extends beyond Bitcoin, however. The presentation's focus on stablecoins, tokenization and blockchain-based financial applications indicates that wealth managers are increasingly evaluating how crypto infrastructure could interact with traditional financial markets.
Interest Is Growing, but Allocation Still Has to Follow
The latest wealth-manager poll presents a notable contrast: 67% of participants had no current crypto allocation, yet 60% expected to allocate within a year and another 60% expected crypto prices to rise by year-end.
Those numbers point to substantial interest, but they do not guarantee future investment. The poll reflects the views and intentions of people attending a particular Bitwise presentation rather than the entire wealth-management sector.
Still, the findings fit into a broader pattern shown by larger industry surveys. Bitwise/VettaFi data show adviser allocations reached a record level in 2025, while Coinbase and EY-Parthenon found that most institutional investors surveyed planned to increase their crypto exposure in 2026.
For the crypto market, the key question is whether growing professional interest will translate into actual portfolio allocations. As regulated products become more accessible and financial infrastructure around digital assets expands, the gap between curiosity and investment could become increasingly important to watch.
