Nexo says 67% of affluent investors own crypto but few make it central to wealth plans

• According to Nexo, two-thirds of wealthy investors hold cryptocurrency, though deep integration remains limited.
• Primary obstacles to broader adoption include security worries, elevated fees, and platform complexity.
• Despite having the lowest overall ownership rate, US investors exhibit the highest level of crypto integration.

A new survey from Nexo reveals that while high-net-worth individuals are increasingly purchasing cryptocurrency, many remain hesitant to incorporate digital assets into their long-term wealth strategies.

The research indicates that 67% of wealthy investors in the US, UK, and Argentina currently hold crypto. However, issues such as security concerns, steep transaction fees, and complicated user interfaces prevent many from using these assets to replace traditional investments or fund their retirement plans.

Nexo released its “Future of Digital Wealth 2026” report on September 23, drawing on a survey of 1,000 affluent investors. To assess how deeply cryptocurrency is woven into respondents’ financial lives, the firm introduced a Crypto Integration Index (CII), which yielded a modest average score of 4.83 out of 10.

Ownership outpaces deeper integration

According to Nexo, a score close to the 4.83 average indicates a minor, short-term cryptocurrency holding that sits outside of any formal retirement planning.

Just 4.7% of the surveyed investors achieved a score of seven or higher. Nexo defines this threshold as “structurally integrated,” meaning cryptocurrency has replaced a conventional asset class and is actively factored into long-term financial strategies.

Furthermore, slightly less than 20% of those surveyed anticipate that cryptocurrency will serve as their primary wealth generator over the coming decade, ranking it ahead of traditional pillars like salary, equities, and real estate.

In contrast, over 40% of respondents already hold digital assets but have not yet leveraged them for wealth accumulation.

“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,” noted Neil Steinhardt, COO of Nexo US.

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.

The extent of integration varies significantly by geography. Argentina boasted the highest rate of crypto ownership at 74%, yet recorded a lower CII score of 4.62. Conversely, the US registered the lowest ownership rate at 62%, but demonstrated the deepest level of integration with an average CII score of 5.07.

Meanwhile, UK investors reported a 65% ownership rate and a CII score of 4.75.

Platform trust becomes the next hurdle

The study highlights that cryptocurrency integration is strongest among investors aged 35 to 44, with 28% in this bracket utilizing digital assets as a foundational element of their retirement portfolios.

In contrast, the youngest demographic (ages 18 to 25) showed the highest ownership rates and strongest conviction, with more than 90% holding crypto. However, only 2% of these younger investors maintain an investment outlook of 10 years or more.

For the highly integrated investors scoring seven or above on the CII, the primary challenges transition toward platform trust. Among this group, 36% pointed to security concerns, 34% cited high fees, and 28% highlighted platform complexity as key pain points.

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

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.

Conducted in February and March 2026 via the Attest platform, the survey targeted individuals holding at least $100,000 in liquid assets in the US and UK, or $40,000 in Argentina. These thresholds were chosen to represent the wealthiest 25% to 30% of investors in each respective region.