Professional investors are positive on the long-term outlook for the crypto and digital assets sector with more than half (52%) rating investment opportunities as very attractive, according to new global research [1] by London-based Nickel Digital Asset Management (Nickel), Europe’s leading digital assets hedge fund manager founded by alumni of Bankers Trust, Goldman Sachs and JPMorgan.
Its study with institutional investors and wealth managers found a further 47% believe investment opportunities on a five-year view are quite attractive with just 1% believing the sector is not very attractive.
Sentiment towards the sector has shifted in the past 12 months with 88% saying they have become more positive including 20% who have become much more positive. Just 2% say their view of the sector has become more negative in the past year.
The research with senior professional investors in the US, UK, Germany, Switzerland, Singapore, Brazil and the United Arab Emirates which collectively manage around $14.42 trillion in assets found nearly 72% say strong growth is one of their top three reasons for becoming more positive while more than half (54%) highlight growing evidence of the asset class’s role in portfolio diversification
More than a quarter (28%) believe the outlook for the sector in the year ahead is very attractive with a further 71% saying it is quite attractive.
Part of that is due to the evolution of crypto ETFs with a third (34%) saying it will be very positive for the sector and 66% believing the launch of further crypto ETFs will be quite positive for the digital assets sector.
Anatoly Crachilov, CEO and Founding Partner at Nickel Digital, said: “The increased confidence in the long-term outlook is attributable to a gradual shift in sentiment and recognition that digital assets can play an important role in diversifying portfolios as investors become more selective and informed about investment opportunities.”
[1] Nickel Digital commissioned the market research company PureProfile to interview 260 institutional investors (pension funds, family offices, insurance asset managers and hedge funds) and wealth managers across the US, UK, Germany, Singapore, Switzerland, Brazil and the UAE in January 2026. The sample included 108 which do not currently invest in crypto and digital assets but intend to do so in the next 24 months
