Bitwise research finds 67% of wealth managers lack crypto allocation

Two out of three wealth managers still have zero crypto in their client portfolios. That’s the headline number from a Bitwise Asset Management audience poll conducted in September 2026, and it tells a story of an industry that talks a big game about digital assets but hasn’t quite followed through yet.

The poll, presented by Bitwise Head of Research Ryan Rasmussen at a company event, surveyed roughly 400 wealth managers. The finding that 67% had not allocated any cryptocurrency exposure for their clients might sound bearish at first glance. But the second number is the one worth paying attention to: 60% of those same respondents said they plan to add a crypto allocation within the next 12 months.

The gap between intention and action

According to the 2026 Bitwise/VettaFi Benchmark Survey, 32% of financial advisors had allocated to crypto for clients in 2025. That was up from 22% in 2024, representing a roughly 45% year-over-year jump in adoption. On the access side, 42% of advisors said they could buy crypto for clients in 2025, compared to 35% the year before.

It’s worth noting this was an informal audience poll at a Bitwise event, not a randomized, statistically rigorous survey of the entire wealth management industry. The people who show up to a crypto asset manager’s presentation are probably more crypto-curious than the average advisor managing retirement accounts in suburban Ohio. Self-selection bias is doing some work here.