Investors in major European countries rate cryptocurrencies more highly than retirement pensions as a tool for long-term wealth creation, a survey showed.

Cointelegraph reported on Oct. 29 that an OKX survey of 1,932 adults aged 18 to 88 in the United States, France, Germany, the Netherlands and Poland found 19 percent of European respondents chose cryptocurrencies as a means of sustained wealth accumulation. The share choosing traditional retirement pensions was 8 percent.

The survey was conducted via Polfish from Oct. 14 to Oct. 18 among respondents with experience investing in cryptocurrencies. Based on all respondents, real estate was the top choice at 34 percent, indicating it was seen more strongly as a long-term wealth-building tool than digital assets and retirement pensions.

The mood in the United States was different. Among U.S. respondents, 21 percent chose retirement accounts and 12 percent chose cryptocurrencies as tools for long-term wealth creation. That suggests perceptions of crypto as a long-term asset are more conservative than in Europe.

Still, a shared view emerged, especially among younger people, that cryptocurrencies are one pillar of long-term asset portfolios. Erald Ghoo (에랄드 구), OKX's Europe chief executive, said investors under 45 on both sides of the Atlantic treat cryptocurrencies as part of long-term assets. He said that shows cryptocurrencies have become part of how people view personal finance. He said the share of cryptocurrencies would become more important as these investors get older and their assets grow.

Expectations of increasing holdings were also confirmed. Some 47 percent of European investors said they plan to increase their cryptocurrency holdings, and 13 percent of them expected a large increase. Expanding to all age groups, 51 percent of respondents expected to raise their crypto allocation. Baby boomers were an exception. In Europe, 44 percent of baby boomers said cryptocurrencies are not important for building wealth across generations, and the share was higher at 65 percent among U.S. baby boomers.

Excluding baby boomers, U.S. investors showed even stronger expectations of increasing exposure. Some 55 percent of U.S. respondents said they plan to increase their share of cryptocurrency investment within the next 5 years, and 22 percent expected a large increase. That indicates a lower assessment than in Europe of crypto as a long-term wealth-building tool in the U.S. market, but a higher willingness to increase portfolio inclusion.

In Europe, anxiety about pensions was also cited as a backdrop. A May 2026 survey by Debating Europe of 2,000 Europeans aged 18 to 35 found 43 percent expected their pension would not guarantee sufficient income. That aligns with a trend of rising interest in alternative assets as trust in existing retirement systems wavers.

In the United States, debate continues over including cryptocurrencies in retirement accounts. A survey conducted in August 2026 by the National Institute on Retirement Security found 77 percent of Americans saw it as risky to include cryptocurrencies in workplace retirement plans, and 46 percent of them said it was "very risky."

Policy directions diverged. The U.S. Department of Labor in May 2025 withdrew earlier guidance that recommended "extreme care" to 401(k) fiduciaries when considering cryptocurrency investment. After that, President Donald Trump signed an executive order in August 2025 directing federal agencies to expand access to alternative assets in 401(k) plans. That included expanding digital-asset exposure through certain investment vehicles.

Opposition continued. The U.S. Department of Labor in March 2026 issued a draft that includes cryptocurrencies and alternative investments among 401(k) investment options, but in June 2026 Senators Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren and Representative Bobby Scott demanded that the proposal be withdrawn. They argued the policy could expose retirement accounts to "exceptionally volatile assets such as digital currencies."

The survey showed that while Europe and the United States differ in how they accept cryptocurrencies as long-term assets, a trend is spreading, centered on younger investors, of incorporating cryptocurrencies into financial planning. The key point to watch is whether this shift in perception will lead to changes in retirement-account systems and asset-allocation regulations.