More than half of wealthy Asian investors in a recent survey say they plan to increase their portfolio exposure to cryptocurrency over the next few years.
Sygnumโs APAC HNWI Report 2025 found that 6 in 10 of the surveyed Asian high-net-worth individuals (HNWIs) are prepared to increase their crypto allocations based on a strong two- to five-year outlook.
It polled 270 HNWIs with more than $1 million in investable assetsย and professional investors with over ten years of experience across ten APAC countries, mainly in Singapore, but including Hong Kong, Indonesia, South Korea and Thailand.
The findings also revealed that an overwhelming 90% of surveyed HNWIs view digital assets as โimportant for long-term wealth preservation and legacy planning, not purely speculation.โ
โDigital assets are now firmly embedded within APACโs private wealth ecosystem,โย said Gerald Goh, Sygnum co-founder and APAC CEO.
โDespite near-term macro uncertainty, we continue to see accelerating adoption driven by strategic portfolio diversification, intergenerational wealth planning, and demand for institutional-grade products.โย
This represents a fundamental shift from crypto as a speculative asset to an institutional wealth management product.ย
More than half of portfolios hold over 10% crypto
The survey reported 87% of Asian HNWIs surveyed already hold crypto, and around half have an allocation of more than 10%. The average portfolio allocation is around 17%.ย
87% of investors also said they would ask their private bank or adviser to add crypto services if offered through regulated partners.
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Meanwhile, 80% of those actively investing reported holdings in blockchain protocol tokens, such as Bitcoin (BTC), Ether (ETH) and Solana (SOL). The most common reason for investing, according to 56% of respondents, was portfolio diversification.ย
Goh said the 17% portfolio allocation shows that HNWI have a โdifferent psychologyโ than โ2017’s โget rich quickโ mentality.โ
โThese arenโt speculators โ theyโre investors with 10-20 year time horizons thinking about intergenerational wealth transfer,โ he told Cointelegraph.
APAC regulations foster stronger institutional involvement
Asked whether Asiaโs crypto regulations have been more restrictive, Goh argued that Asiaโs crypto regulation has been more โspecific and deliberateโ than that of other jurisdictions.
โMAS in Singapore has been extraordinarily thoughtful. Yes, theyโve tightened licensing requirements, increased capital buffers, and restricted retail access.โ
โBut theyโve also created genuine clarity on custody standards, operational requirements, and investor protections.
โWhat looks ‘restrictive’ is actually rigorous institution-building. The tradeoff is fewer service providers can meet the barโbut the ones that do are genuinely institutional-grade,โ he said, adding that Hong Kong is now on a similar path.
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