CoinShares: 70% of HNWIs hold digital assets with a long-term view
7 OCT, 2026
By CoinShares
Digital assets are moving from the margins into the core of wealthy investors' portfolios. According to the first CoinShares Affluent Investor Crypto Report, published on 6 October 2026 by CoinShares (Nasdaq: CSHR), around 70% of high-net-worth investors in the most advanced markets hold digital assets with a strategic, long-term view.
The survey, carried out with Vardaxoglou Advisory between May and June 2026, covered more than 2,200 investors across the US, the UK, France, Germany, Italy, Sweden and Switzerland. The panel was split between sub-HNWIs, with $500,000 to $1 million in investable assets, and HNWIs, with more than $1 million.
A 10% allocation built around Bitcoin
The average allocation to digital assets stands at around 10% of the portfolio, a weighting comparable to private equity, commodities and real estate. That share doubles among younger HNWIs, who show a more natural inclination towards the asset class.
Speculation plays a minor role: only 6% invest mainly to trade volatility or for short-term gains. Bitcoin remains central to HNWI strategies, with 77% expecting it to play a significant role in the future global financial system.
That conviction withstood the February 2026 correction – the sharpest in recent years – which actually increased the propensity to invest in Bitcoin in five of the seven markets. The main driver is defensive: 57% of respondents see digital assets as protection against macroeconomic risks such as interest rates and inflation.
Access shifts to regulated ETPs and advisers
Access is becoming institutionalised. Some 55% of HNWIs investing in digital assets prefer brokerage platforms and regulated ETPs over buying directly on exchanges, a trend reflected in recent moves such as fee cuts on physically backed Bitcoin ETPs.
Demand for advice is rising too: 69% would consider a wealth manager with specific digital asset expertise, while 88% admit they lack the knowledge to invest fully on their own. In the same vein, 79% call for more and better-calibrated regulation of the asset class.
Digital assets are now an established reality in HNWI portfolios, and these investors have understood that, for this asset class, it is no longer a question of 'if' but of 'how'. Their approach recognises institutionalised access – through regulated ETPs and with the support of professionals – as the preferred route into digital assets. Cryptocurrencies are evolving into a natural component of investment portfolios.
Jean-Marie Mognetti, Co-Founder, Chairman and CEO of CoinShares
Italian HNWIs: the 'discerning diversifiers'
In Italy, 58% of high-net-worth investors surveyed hold digital assets. Some 29% see cryptocurrencies as the asset with the best long-term prospects, while 78% regard Bitcoin as a reliable store of value and 76% as a hedge against fiat currency debasement.
What sets Italian investors apart is their rationale. Diversification is a key motivation for 35% of the Italian sample, almost double the European average of 19%. The report labels them 'discerning diversifiers', with 57% favouring intermediated channels such as ETPs or discretionary mandates – a market where the range of exchange-listed crypto ETPs has been expanding.
Caution does not mean lack of appetite. Some 90% of Italian respondents want greater involvement in cryptocurrencies, and 85% of current holders plan to increase exposure in 2026. Bitcoin leads the list for further investment (71%), followed by stablecoins (31%) and Ethereum (30%).
Advisers carry particular weight in Italy. Some 40% of Italian HNWIs hold most of their digital assets through their wealth manager, against a European average of 27%, and 56% already work with a professional who includes digital assets in the portfolio – a share surpassed only by the US.
The most telling figure concerns those yet to invest: 85% of Italian HNWIs without digital assets would start with a wealth manager's support, compared with 67% across the EU.
Younger investors drive structural demand
As elsewhere, the new generation is reinforcing demand. Italian HNWIs under 45 allocate 11% of their portfolio to digital assets, almost double the 6% of over-45s, and are twice as likely to name cryptocurrencies as the asset with the best long-term prospects (37% vs 18%).
They also show higher tolerance for volatility (83% vs 59%) – a generational gap second only to the US – and greater confidence in Bitcoin as a store of value (84% vs 70%). For wealth managers and fund selectors, the message is that crypto demand is increasingly advice-led and channelled through regulated vehicles.
