Institutional investors are turning to crypto markets again. According to a new report from Sygnum Bank, institutional interest in crypto assets increased rapidly in the last quarter of the year, this time driven not by short-term gains but by portfolio diversification. However, experts warn that this momentum may slow as 2026 approaches.
Sygnum Report: Institutions Focus on Cryptos
It has been revealed that institutional investors turned to crypto assets in the last quarter of the year, but expectations of a "boom" signal a slowdown towards 2026. The "Future Finance 2025" report from Sygnum Bank, the Swiss-Singapore-based digital asset bank, revealed this trend.
According to the report's key findings, 61% of institutional investors plan to increase their digital asset investments, with this figure reaching 38% for the fourth quarter of the year. There is also a significant shift in the motivation for investing in crypto assets: "Speculation" is no longer the primary motivation, replacing it with portfolio diversification. The Sygnum research team interprets this shift as "institutional players are moving from thinking of crypto solely as a defensive position to seeing it as a way to participate in the structural transformation of global finance." In short, crypto assets are now beginning to be accepted as an alternative investment class, not just a short-term source of profit.
Strategy Change
A significant shift is also being observed in the approach of institutional investors. Actively managed strategies (42%) now surpass index-based strategies (39%). This suggests that investors are shifting from a "buy a token and wait" model to flexible strategies that can respond quickly to policy changes and market fluctuations.
Furthermore, interest in investment instruments beyond Bitcoin and Ethereum has increased significantly. More than 80% of investors expressed interest in broader crypto ETFs, and nearly 70% said they would increase their allocation if offered staking advantages. Furthermore, the tokenization of real-world assets is also on the rise: interest in this direction has increased from 6% to 26% compared to a year ago.
Cautious Outlook for 2026
However, not all the data is entirely positive. The report describes 2025 as a "year of moderate risk and strong demand catalysts," noting that factors such as regulatory uncertainty and declining liquidity could weigh on momentum. Indeed, while the vast majority of investors remain confident in the long term, it predicts that crypto market momentum could begin to decline starting in mid-2026.
Among the data included in the report: 91% of high-net-worth individuals believe crypto will play a key role in long-term wealth preservation. 81% view Bitcoin as a treasury reserve asset, and nearly 70% believe that holding cash for the next five years carries a higher opportunity cost than holding Bitcoin.
