Portfolio diversification has overtaken exposure to crypto's long-term upside as the primary reason investors allocate to digital assets in 2025. Sygnum Bank's Future Finance Report 2025 found that 57% of respondents now view diversification as their main motivation for investing.
This marked a shift from last year when 62% cited exposure to the crypto megatrend as their top driver. That figure fell to 53% in the latest survey, suggesting investors now use crypto more deliberately as a core portfolio component rather than chasing pure upside potential.
Perception of Crypto as a Safe Haven
About 45% of respondents view crypto, particularly Bitcoin, as a safe-haven and macro hedge driven by rising sovereign debt loads, inflation concerns, geopolitical tensions and falling trust in fiat currencies. Interest in crypto as a new alternative asset class declined to 28%.
Market Maturation and ETF Interest
The report noted a maturing market environment with adoption of regulated derivatives, corporate balance-sheet growth, and a surge in exchange-traded fund products contributing to broader confidence. More than 150 crypto ETF applications are pending in the U.S.
Roughly 70% of surveyed investors said they would increase their allocations to crypto ETFs if staking yields were included. Even those already interested in Bitcoin and Ethereum ETFs indicated that staking would materially influence their allocation decisions, particularly for Solana and multi-asset products.
High-Net-Worth Investor Allocations
High-net-worth individuals represent the largest cohort in this year's survey, often allocating 10% to 20% or more of their investable wealth to cryptocurrency. About 90% of these investors said crypto was important for long-term wealth preservation and legacy planning, with more than half strongly agreeing.
Barriers to Investment and Regulatory Progress
Regulatory uncertainty remains the biggest barrier to crypto investment, cited by 40% of respondents, ahead of custody and security concerns at 38% and asset volatility at 36%. This finding came despite significant regulatory progress across the U.S. and Europe in 2025.
Meanwhile, 80% of respondents said regulatory clarity had significantly improved since 2025, an 11-percentage-point increase from the previous year. About 83% also agreed that recent U.S. policy shifts have strengthened crypto's investment case.
Strategic Portfolio Integration
Sygnum noted that the shift toward diversification as the primary investment driver could indicate crypto is now being used more strategically within portfolios. The perceived diversification benefits are taking precedence over speculative positioning for many institutional and high-net-worth investors entering the market.