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HSBC survey shows affluent investors cut crypto allocation to 6% in 2026

HSBC survey shows affluent investors cut crypto allocation to 6% in 2026

HSBC’s 2026 survey found global wealthy investors trimmed crypto exposure as stocks and alternatives gained, while Taiwan stood out for equity-heavy portfolios, high cash holdings and rising interest in diversified products.

Fact Check
The primary source, HSBC's official Global Affluent Investor Snapshot 2026 factsheet, directly confirms all claimed figures: crypto allocation of 6% (down 1pp), equities up to 16% (+2pp) and private equity/alternatives up to 8% (+2pp) representing the shift into stocks and alternatives, while crypto (–1pp), cash (–1pp to 19%) and gold (–1pp to 10%) each lost share, and 45% plan to increase crypto over the next 12 months. Multiple independent secondary sources (Odaily, Bloomingbit, KuCoin) corroborate these numbers identically.
Summary

Affluent and high-net-worth investors globally allocated 6% on average to crypto assets in 2026, down from 7% a year earlier, according to HSBC’s survey of 9,993 investors across 10 markets conducted from Jan. 6 to Feb. 6. At the same time, 45% of respondents said they expect to increase crypto exposure over the next 12 months, 40% plan no change, and 16% said they would reduce exposure or were unsure. Portfolio shifts favored stocks, which rose 2 percentage points to 16%, and alternative assets including private equity, private credit and hedge funds, which rose to 8%, while crypto, cash and gold each fell by 1 point. Taiwan was a notable market in the survey, with a 70% stock ownership rate versus a 52% global average, roughly 30% portfolio allocation to stocks versus 16% globally, and 23% in cash versus a 19% global average, alongside growing interest in multi-market products, gold, time deposits and managed multi-asset solutions.

Terms & Concepts
  • private equity: Investments in companies that are not publicly listed on stock exchanges.
  • private credit: Loans made by non-bank investors rather than through public debt markets.
  • multi-asset allocation: Spreading investments across different asset classes.