Many wealthy investors in the Group of Seven economies hold cryptocurrencies, and most existing investors plan additional purchases in 2026, a survey showed.

CoinShares surveyed 2,230 people with investable assets of at least $500,000 in the United States, Britain, France, Germany, Italy, Sweden and Switzerland, Cointelegraph reported on Monday. Digital assets accounted for about 10 percent of portfolios on average, CoinShares said.

Sweden had the lowest ownership rate at 54 percent. The United States, Britain, Germany and Switzerland were around 70 percent. Among investors who currently hold digital assets, at least 85 percent in 5 of the 7 countries said they planned to increase exposure in 2026. That figure rose to 91 percent in the United States, Britain and Germany.

The survey highlighted that investment sentiment did not weaken sharply despite a decline in the cryptocurrency market in February. In all 7 countries, more respondents said they were more likely to invest in digital assets after the sell-off than those who said they would invest less. Investors most often cited long-term value appreciation and diversification benefits as reasons for investing in cryptocurrencies. The share citing speculation as the main reason was the lowest, and 6 percent saw themselves as short-term trading-focused investors.

Among holdings, bitcoin was the most widespread. An average of 80 percent of digital asset investors held bitcoin, and 89 percent of bitcoin holders also held other digital assets. Also, 77 percent of respondents saw bitcoin playing an important role in the future global financial system, and 79 percent supported tighter regulation of the digital asset market.

By age group, the rising share of younger investors stood out. Across all 7 countries, younger people had a higher allocation to digital assets than older groups, and in 4 countries the gap was about twofold. That reflected a stronger view among younger people that cryptocurrencies are a long-term asset class rather than a short-term trading tool.

The survey also found a gap between wealthy investors and financial advisory firms. In Switzerland, France, the United States and Germany, about 40 percent of respondents who use advisers said the firms were overly cautious about digital assets. Rick Edelman (릭 에델만), founder of the Digital Asset Council of Financial Professionals and Edelman Financial Engines, also viewed such a gap as existing.

Edelman said financial advisory firms were moving slowly on adopting digital assets. He said many advisers lack the knowledge or incentives to learn the asset class, and some firms ban advisers from discussing cryptocurrencies or proposing related investment products to clients. In such cases, advisers may not even know whether clients hold cryptocurrencies, he said, and could miss service opportunities related to taxes, inheritance planning and donations.

Edelman disagreed with the average 10 percent allocation presented by CoinShares. His own research showed it was much more common for wealthy individuals to have cryptocurrencies at around 2 to 5 percent of assets. Still, he said he recommends a 10 to 40 percent allocation depending on risk appetite. He suggested 10 percent for conservative portfolios, 25 percent for moderate portfolios and 40 percent for aggressive portfolios.

Edelman said, "As the asset class matures, allocating more than 10 percent will become a common benchmark," and added, "The faster people do it, the better results they will get." He said that view differs from public perceptions of cryptocurrencies in retirement asset management. An August survey by the National Institute on Retirement Security showed 77 percent of Americans viewed including cryptocurrencies in workplace retirement plans as risky, and 46 percent of them said it was very risky.

The survey showed that cryptocurrencies have already become an asset class with a certain share among wealthy investors and that willingness for additional inflows has persisted even after a sharp market drop. At the same time, the gap between the advisory industry's conservative stance and investor demand is expected to remain a variable for expanding digital asset advisory services.