Advisers double down on crypto as 99% plan steady or higher allocations

A Bitwise/VettaFi survey has revealed that 99% of financial advisors who allocated to crypto in 2025 are committed to either maintain or increase their exposure in 2026. The survey also found that nearly one-third (~32%) of advisors invested in crypto for clients in 2025, a 10% increase from the previous year.

The eighth annual “Bitwise/VettaFi 2026 Benchmark Survey of Financial Advisor Attitudes Toward Crypto Assets” report, released today, found that allocation size within portfolios is also growing. Roughly 64% of client portfolios with crypto exposure had allocations greater than 2%, a massive uptick from 2024’s 51%.

More professional financial advisors also own cryptocurrency than ever before, with approximately 56% reporting that they hold cryptocurrency in their personal portfolios. That marked the highest level of advisor crypto ownership since the survey kicked off in 2018.

Meanwhile, institutional access is surging, with 42% of financial advisors reporting that they can buy crypto in their clients’ accounts. That also marked a huge increase from 2024’s 35% and 19% in 2023.

Hougan claims financial advisors’ crypto adoption surged in 2025 

99% of financial advisor who allocated to crypto in 2025 plan to increase or maintain their exposure in 2026. @EricBalchunas @JSeyff

(Data from the just-published 8th annual Bitwise/VettaFi Benchmark Survey of Financial Advisor Attitudes Towards Crypto Assets.) pic.twitter.com/ICANsniQ2Z

— Matt Hougan (@Matt_Hougan) January 13, 2026

Matt Hougan, the Chief Investment Officer at Bitwise, said that advisors embraced crypto in 2025 like never before as they became trusted guides to millions of clients. The Bitwise/VettaFi report also stated that 2025 was momentous for crypto, with Bitcoin hitting a new ATH (~$126K) and many other cryptos rallying as well. Financial Advisors were responsible for stewarding trillions of dollars in wealth last year. 

Meanwhile, Hougan believes the future of crypto will soon become almost entirely dependent on what financial advisors think of it. He noted that people who have wondered what advisors would do if the crypto market hit a patch of volatility have their answer: They are planning to buy more.

“As crypto moves farther into the mainstream, we’re excited to see surging interest and enthusiasm from a demographic that has always played a central role in crypto’s future.”

–Matt Hougan, the Chief Investment Officer at Bitwise Asset Management

Todd Rosenbluth, the head of research and editorial at TMX VettaFi, also observed that the strong demand for crypto-related ETFs in 2025 was easily evident, adding that what happens next is less obvious. Advisors are sharing about how they and their clients are increasingly allocating to crypto, according to Rosenbluth.  

Advisors overwhelmingly prefer crypto equity ETFs

The Bitwise/VettaFi report found that advisors overwhelmingly prefer crypto equity ETFs. showing they are most interested in allocating to crypto equity ETFs in 2026. Advisors also prefer crypto index funds (42%) to single-token funds. 

Meanwhile, advisors are increasingly sourcing their crypto allocations from equities (43%) or cash (35%). Stablecoins and tokenization have also piqued the interest of advisors (30%), followed by digital gold/fiat debasement (22%), and crypto-related AI investments (19%).

On the other hand, independent registered investment advisors (IRAs) represented the largest number of respondents (46%), followed by independent broker-dealer representatives (25%), financial planners (16%), wirehouse representatives (7%), institutional investors (3%), and other investment professionals (3%). Meanwhile, “Other” financial professionals were the most likely to own crypto in their personal portfolios at 89%, followed by institutional investors (75%), RIAs (50%), financial planners (45%), and independent broker-dealers (41%).

Crypto also remained at the top of investors’ minds in 2025, with 94% of advisors reporting that they received crypto-related questions from their clients last year. That percentage was slightly lower than 2024’s 96%, but an increase from 88% in 2023 and 90% in 2022. 

Meanwhile, the report noted that it has become more important than ever for advisors to be well-equipped to answer crypto-related client questions. Overall, the survey results also indicate that institutional crypto adoption is on the rise, and allocation sizing within investor portfolios has continued to grow as crypto assets move into the mainstream. 

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