Wealthy investors own crypto but shy from deep integration, Nexo survey finds

• According to Nexo, 67% of affluent investors hold cryptocurrency, yet its integration into their finances remains limited.
• Key obstacles to adoption include security concerns, high fees, and platform complexity.
• Despite having the lowest ownership rate, US investors display the highest level of crypto integration.

A new survey by Nexo indicates that high-net-worth investors are purchasing cryptocurrency more frequently, yet many hesitate to give it a significant role in their long-term wealth strategies.

Across the US, UK, and Argentina, 67% of affluent investors already hold cryptocurrency, the report found. However, worries about security, excessive fees, and platform complexity prevent many from employing digital assets for retirement or as substitutes for conventional investments.

On September 23, Nexo released its “Future of Digital Wealth 2026” report, based on a survey of 1,000 affluent investors. The firm’s Crypto Integration Index, which gauges how thoroughly cryptocurrency is woven into investors’ financial lives, yielded an average score of 4.83 out of 10.

Ownership outstrips deeper integration

Nexo stated that a score close to the survey’s average of 4.83 indicates a modest, short-term crypto holding outside of retirement planning.

Just 4.7% of respondents achieved a score of seven or above, which Nexo defines as structurally integrated—meaning cryptocurrency has replaced a traditional asset and is part of extended financial planning.

According to the report, slightly less than 20% of those surveyed anticipate that crypto will become their primary wealth generator in the next ten years, surpassing salary, stocks, and real estate.

Over 40% have invested in crypto but have not yet used it to build wealth.

Neil Steinhardt, chief operating officer of Nexo US, remarked that “once an investor gets past the risk perception stage, what’s left is security, fees, and platform user-friendliness and capabilities – the same things we’ve spent years building Nexo to solve.”

That’s the gap between owning crypto and actually building wealth with it, and it’s exactly where our platform is designed to meet investors.

Integration levels differ by market. Argentina recorded the greatest ownership rate at 74%, yet a CII score of 4.62. The US registered the smallest ownership at 62%, but the strongest integration, with a score of 5.07.

The UK posted a 65% ownership rate and a CII score of 4.75.

Platform trust emerges as the next obstacle

Crypto integration reaches its highest among investors aged 35 to 44, the report says, with 28% viewing digital assets as a central retirement holding.

Investors between 18 and 25 recorded the greatest ownership and confidence, over 90% holding crypto, yet only 2% have an investment horizon of a decade or more.

For structurally integrated investors—those with CII scores of seven or above—the reported barriers move toward platform trust. Security worries were noted by 36%, elevated fees by 34%, and platform complexity by 28%.

Iliya Kalchev, an analyst at Nexo, said: “Risk perception used to be the story in every crypto adoption survey. It isn’t anymore.”

In our data, risk perception barely separates investors who’ve built real wealth with crypto from those who haven’t — what actually divides them is whether they’ve substituted crypto for a traditional asset and folded it into retirement planning. For affluent investors it’s the planning and the smoothness of operating with that crypto that remains to be resolved.

The survey was conducted in February and March 2026 via Attest. Respondents were required to have at least $100,000 in liquid assets in the US and UK, or $40,000 in Argentina—thresholds set to capture the top 25% to 30% of each market by investable wealth.