CoinShares survey finds crypto at 1.3% of portfolios as altcoin picks shift

What the survey found

Professional investors held an average of 1.3% of their portfolios in crypto assets in October, up from 1.2% in July, according to a CoinShares survey published on 11 November. The 28 respondents manage about $642 billion in assets, the crypto investment firm said.

Bitcoin and Ethereum kept their core positions. Together they made up 47% of answers about current holdings, and Bitcoin remained the asset most respondents named as having the highest growth potential, CoinShares reported.

The survey also recorded a shift in altcoin preferences. Interest in older assets such as Cardano declined, while Hyperliquid (HYPE), Sui (SUI), Uniswap (UNI), Near (NEAR), Aave (AAVE) and Chainlink (LINK) drew more attention. Expectations for Ethereum and Solana improved slightly, according to the report.

Why investors hold crypto

Portfolio diversification was the most cited reason for holding crypto, at 40%. Speculation, once a leading motive, fell below 9% and ranked fifth. More respondents said current price levels looked attractive, while fewer cited client demand as their reason to invest.

Among respondents without crypto exposure, regulatory uncertainty and internal company investment restrictions remained the biggest obstacles. Those already invested named price volatility as the main risk.

Policy and macro backdrop

CoinShares said delays to the U.S. market structure bill known as the CLARITY Act have increased uncertainty for the sector. The report also said the Federal Reserve's tight monetary policy and interest rate expectations are playing a growing role in Bitcoin prices.

The survey covers a small group of large investors, and CoinShares did not state how the sample was selected or whether the October results are comparable with earlier editions beyond the July figure it cited.