New research from Sandmark and GWI reveals a growing gap between individual investment behaviour and institutional strategy, as finance professionals increasingly adopt digital assets for their personal portfolios while waiting for structural frameworks to catch up.
The 2026 Crypto Intelligence Report, which surveyed over 5,000 respondents across eight global markets including the UK, USA, and UAE, indicates that familiarity is the primary driver of market confidence.
You can find the full report here – 2026 Sandmark Crypto Intelligence Report.pdf
Perceptions of risk appear to decline sharply with direct exposure. While 25% of finance professionals generally view cryptocurrency as a high-risk asset, this figure drops to just 10% among those who personally hold digital investments. This suggests that hands-on experience helps contextualise volatility, with 38% of crypto-holding professionals now framing the sector as a growth opportunity with strong upside potential.
The study highlights that professional investors are personally ahead of their firms, allocating more of their own capital to crypto than their organisations currently allow. Despite this individual optimism, institutional participation remains exploratory. Michelle Fotopoulou, Chief Marketing Officer at Sandmark, noted that institutional momentum is hindered by structural barriers rather than a lack of conviction. Regulatory uncertainty remains the leading institutional blocker at 42%, followed by market volatility and governance concerns.
Information needs are also becoming more sophisticated. While social media remains the primary gateway for discovery—cited by 28% of finance professionals—investment decisions are increasingly reliant on structured signals over hype. Nearly 60% of investors now use real-time news alerts, technical analysis, and expert commentary to inform their trades. However, a credibility gap persists; only 30% of respondents describe current crypto news as balanced and reliable, while 48% believe coverage skews toward promotion.
Public figures continue to exert outsized influence on market sentiment. Elon Musk remains the most positive influence, cited by 51% of respondents, whereas Donald Trump generates the most negative sentiment at 38%. The report found that 77% of those influenced by Musk report high optimism for the future of the asset class, suggesting that personalities currently fill the void left by a lack of institutional guardrails.
Looking ahead, 52% of finance professionals expect their organisation’s exposure to digital assets to increase over the next 12 months. The next phase of growth is expected to be institutional-led, triggered by greater regulatory clarity, the expansion of Bitcoin and Ethereum ETFs, and the integration of crypto into traditional payment systems. Investors are no longer waiting for confidence to build, but for the financial infrastructure to accommodate their existing conviction
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