Crypto Earns a Bigger Footprint in Wealth Planning—Just Not in the Respect Queue

European crypto investors are more likely than their US counterparts to view digital assets as a tool for building lasting wealth, according to an OKX survey of 1,932 adults age 18 to 88 who had previously invested in crypto. Across France, Germany, the Netherlands and Poland, 19% selected cryptocurrencies for lasting wealth creation, compared with 8% who chose traditional retirement plans. US investors favored retirement accounts, with 21% selecting them and 12% choosing crypto.

Pollfish conducted the survey for OKX between Oct. 14 and Oct. 18, including 1,000 US respondents. Real estate ranked as the leading asset associated with lasting wealth, chosen by 34% of respondents overall. Retirement concerns also feature prominently in Europe: about 43% of 2,000 Europeans age 18 to 35 surveyed in May 2026 by Friends of Europe’s citizen-engagement unit, Debating Europe, expected their pensions to fall short. “When investors under 45 on both sides of the Atlantic treat crypto as part of their long-term wealth, it tells you crypto is now part of how people look at their finances,” said OKX Europe’s CEO, Erald Ghoo. He said crypto’s place in wealth plans will become “more important” as these investors get older and wealthier.

Across all age groups, 51% of respondents expect to increase their crypto allocation. That includes 47% of European investors, with 13% planning a significant increase, and 55% of US investors, with 22% planning a significant increase. Among Americans under 45, 70% expect to raise their crypto share, compared with 57% in Europe. “US investors are showing that crypto is moving from the margins into the mainstream wealth conversation, with younger investors leading this shift. Crypto is becoming part of how a new generation thinks about building and preserving wealth,” said Roshan Robert, CEO of OKX US.

Boomers remain more skeptical, particularly in the US. Among US boomers, 65% said crypto was not at all important for generational wealth building, compared with 44% of European boomers. Crypto wealth also carries a social discount in America: 42% of US respondents said it earns less respect than an equal stock portfolio, versus 28% in Europe. Only 34% of investors in both regions considered crypto wealth as legitimate as wealth built in stocks or real estate. Americans are also more private about their finances, with 7% telling close friends their approximate portfolio value, compared with 15% in Europe, while 24% would hide a sudden fortune to preserve their relationships, twice Europe’s rate of 12%.

US retirement policy is nevertheless shifting toward crypto access. In March, the Labor Department proposed a rule easing the path for crypto into 401(k) retirement plans. In May 2025, the US Department of Labor rescinded crypto-specific guidance that had urged 401(k) plan fiduciaries to exercise “extreme care” when considering cryptocurrency investments. An August survey from The National Institute on Retirement Security found that 77% of Americans consider crypto in workplace retirement plans risky, including 46% who view it as very risky.