Crypto Demand On The Rise: Wealthy Asian Investors Seek To Increase Digital Assets Portfolio

Wealth managers in Asia have noticed a surge in demand for crypto assets as mainstream adoption and broader regulatory shifts drive prices to new highs. A recent report shared that wealthy Asian investors are seeking to grow their digital asset portfolios.

High-Net-Worth Investors Bet On Crypto

Wealthy Asian families and family offices are reportedly planning to increase their cryptocurrency investments amid the bullish market, mainstream adoption, and positive regulatory developments in multiple jurisdictions, including the US and Hong Kong.

In a Thursday report, Reuters revealed that high-net-worth Asian investors are seeking more exposure to crypto assets, with wealth managers receiving more inquiries, crypto funds seeing an increase in demand, and exchanges’ trading volumes surging.

Jason Huang, founder of NextGen Digital Venture, told the news media outlet that they had raised over $100 million in just a few months for a new long-short crypto equity fund launched in May.

He noted that the response from Limited Partners (LPs) that represent high-net-worth individuals “has been encouraging,” adding that his firm’s investors, which are mainly family offices and fintech entrepreneurs, recognize the “growing role of digital assets in diversified portfolios.”

Swiss investment bank UBS said that some overseas Chinese family offices are looking to raise their crypto exposure to approximately 5% of their portfolio. Lu Zijie, head of wealth management at UBS China, shared that many second and third-generation members of multiple family offices are starting to learn about digital assets and how to participate.

Meanwhile, some wealth managers highlighted a mindset shift among Asian clients over the last few years, moving from a small allocation to embracing the crypto sector as a “must-have” in their portfolios. Reportedly, investors are increasingly treating Bitcoin as a “portfolio diversifier” to protect themselves against macro uncertainties due to its low correlation with stocks and bonds.

Zann Kwan, CIO at Singapore-based Revo Digital Family Office, affirmed that family offices “started to dip their feet” into spot Bitcoin exchange-traded funds (ETFs) last year following the approval of the crypto-based investment products in the US. “Now they have begun to learn the difference of holding a token directly,” he added.

Asia’s Market Gains Momentum

Reuters noted that the surging interest of Asian high-net-worth investors follows the recent market rally, which saw Bitcoin hit a new all-time high (ATH) of $124,128 last week, as well as positive regulatory developments, including the enactment of the GENIUS Act in the US and the passage of Hong Kong’s stablecoin legislation.

Cryptocurrency exchanges have also benefited from the increase in trading demand, with the number of registered users at Hong Kong’s HashKey exchange surging 85% year-on-year (YoY) by August.

As reported by Bitcoinist, Hong Kong’s new stablecoin framework has sparked a frenzy of fundraising activity among fintech firms, raising around $1.5 billion via share placements to invest in stablecoins, blockchain payment systems, and digital assets.

South Korea, Malaysia, Thailand, and the Philippines are also experiencing high interest in Asian-pegged stablecoins despite authorities’ concerns of capital outflows, while Japan and China explore launching their stablecoins.

Meanwhile, the broader stablecoin push has seen investors shift from US big tech stocks to crypto-related equities. Recent data revealed that South Korean individuals investing in overseas stocks have shifted from US big tech equities to crypto-linked stocks over the past two months, with increasing interest in stablecoin-related companies.