Sygnum Study: Asia’s Wealth Turns Decisively Toward Crypto
Digital assets have become a mainstream pillar of wealth strategy for Asia’s high-net-worth investors, a new study reveals and signalling a structural shift in private wealth management across the region.
Sygnum’s «APAC HNWI Report 2025», issued on Thursday, finds that nearly half of respondents now allocate more than 10 percent of their portfolios to digital assets, with the median in the 10-20 percent range.
The survey of more than 270 HNWIs and professional investors across 10 markets reveals that digital assets are no longer viewed as speculative vehicles; 90 percent consider them important for long-term wealth preservation and legacy planning.
Portfolio diversification motivates 56 percent of investors, overtaking short-term trading as the dominant driver.
Professionalised Strategies Replace Pure Trading
Respondents show strong demand for actively managed crypto exposure, outsourced mandates and yield-generating strategies. The priority is seamless integration with existing wealth structures rather than stand-alone crypto bets.
Sygnum co-founder and APAC CEO Gerald Goh notes that «digital assets are now firmly embedded within APAC’s private wealth ecosystem» and highlights that Singapore’s MAS regime and Hong Kong’s regulatory progress have created the infrastructure for private banks to scale crypto services.
He added that APAC is «rapidly becoming one of the world’s fastest growing and most important digital asset gateways».
Rising Demand for ETFs and Yield-Enhanced Products
Investor appetite extends well beyond Bitcoin and Ethereum. 80 percent want access to additional digital asset ETFs, with Solana attracting interest from 52 percent of respondents.
Multi-asset index products follow at forty-eight percent and XRP at forty-one percent. 70 percent would allocate or increase allocations to digital asset ETFs if staking yield were included, underscoring a preference for regulated, yield-enhanced vehicles compatible with traditional portfolios.
Short-Term Caution, Long-Term Conviction
Although 60 percent of surveyed investors intend to increase crypto allocations, many remain selective in the near term following recent market corrections. Regulatory complexity, custody concerns and varying licensing regimes across the region remain barriers to wider participation.
Nonetheless, long-term confidence remains firm, supported by rising on-chain adoption, expanding ETF availability and clearer supervisory frameworks. Sygnum research lead Lucas Schweiger emphasises that APAC HNWIs «are embracing digital assets as a genuine wealth creation and preservation opportunity», particularly within Singapore’s robust regulatory environment.
Maturing Investor Base Reshapes Wealth Management
More than half of survey participants have over a decade of investment experience, and 20 percent have been active for more than 20 years. This seasoned cohort is now integrating digital assets as a core component of long-term strategy.
With traditional wealth managers under pressure to deliver institutional-grade custody and security requirements cited by 66 percent of respondents, the crypto-wealth convergence is accelerating.
Digital Assets Enter Mainstream of Asia’s Wealth Landscape
Sygnum’s findings point to a decisive shift: digital assets are no longer peripheral exposures but an increasingly strategic asset class within APAC private wealth.
As regulatory clarity deepens and institutional-grade products proliferate, wealth managers that adapt quickly stand to capture a growing share of one of the region’s most dynamic investment trends.
