Almost 66% of UK consumers said that they are aware of cryptocurrencies. 29% of the figure said that they already made investments in digital assets — suggesting that cryptocurrencies are becoming an important part of the financial services mainstream, according to a survey by Coinbase in 2021.

Data from Insider Intelligence

Data suggests that 51% of UK consumers who own cryptocurrencies made started investing in 2019 onward. In other words, crypto assets are a newcomer to the investing mainstream of people in the UK.

Meanwhile, 55% of cryptocurrency investors are planning to increase their investments in the next year. The data demonstrate a strong and active investment environment. 

Insider comment on the data saying: “We expect more incumbent investment managers, like wealth managers, to react to growing investor crypto interest by offering exposure to their clients in 2022.”

On the other hand, major cryptocurrency exchanges such as Coinbase and trading platforms like Robinhood are the biggest gainers from the surge of the cryptocurrencies trading activity.

Yet interest in investing in this nascent asset class is cross-demographic: 72% of global high-net-worth individuals (HNWIs) have bought crypto, per a 2021 Capgemini survey.

This may suggest that more wealth managers will follow JPMorgan and Morgan Stanley and offer crypto exposure to their wealthy clients.

Cryptocurrency exchanges can also benefit from this surge by tailoring their offerings to HNWIs. For example, the premium offering from Singapore-based exchange Coinhako offers clients access to a dedicated relationship manager.