The 2025 survey, conducted between November 14 and December 20, found that 56% of financial advisors were more inclined to invest in digital assets following Donald Trump’s victory in the 2024 U.S. presidential election.

Growing Crypto Adoption Among Advisors

According to the survey, the percentage of financial advisors allocating crypto to client portfolios doubled year-over-year, rising from 11% in 2023 to 22% in 2024. Additionally, 99% of advisors already holding digital assets reported plans to either maintain or increase their exposure in 2025.

Source: Diana via X

Matt Hougan, Chief Investment Officer at Bitwise, described 2024 as a transformative year for the crypto industry. “Advisors are awakening to crypto’s potential like never before,” he said. “But perhaps most staggering is how much room we still have to run, with two-thirds of all financial advisors still unable to access crypto for clients. We see that changing in 2025 as the mainstream era of crypto continues apace.”

Bitwise made a prediction in December, that Bitcoin would hit $200,000 in 2025, based on growing investor interest. It’s a bold price prediction, that is for sure.

Source: Bitwise

Interest in cryptocurrencies from clients has also increased. The survey mentioned that 96% of the advisors had been receiving inquiries from clients about cryptocurrencies in the past year. Besides, several clients have opted for direct investments, and 71% of the advisors claimed their clients pursued direct investments outside of advisory relationships.

ETF Accessibility: A Double-Edged Sword

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission’s approval of spot Bitcoin and Ethereum exchange-traded funds (ETFs) in 2024 represented a watershed milestone in institutional cryptocurrency acceptance. However, obstacles still exist. While ETFs have made crypto more accessible to advisors and individual investors, only 35% of questioned advisors reported being able to purchase digital assets directly in client accounts.

Source: Ben Strack via X

Expense ratios emerged as a critical criterion for advisors when selecting ETFs, with 58% saying it was the most essential aspect. Other priorities included the brand of the issuer (46%) and issuer support (43%), indicating the value placed on subject-matter expertise in the crypto space.

Despite these hurdles, total net assets in U.S. spot Bitcoin ETFs reached $106.8 billion by late 2024, representing 5.74% of Bitcoin’s total market capitalization.

Barriers to Adoption and Future Outlook

Regulatory uncertainty is still the biggest concern for financial advisors, with 55% naming it as the main barrier to more crypto investments. Other obstacles include volatility at 43%, the need for better custodial solutions at 33%, and limited real-world use cases at 34%.

Todd Rosenbluth, Head of Research at TMX VettaFi, expressed optimism about the future. “Based on the latest data, the future is very bright as advisors and investors gain more access and education about the potential benefits of crypto investments,” he said.

Advisors also showed growing interest in diversifying their crypto exposure. Crypto equity ETFs (22%) and diversified crypto index funds (19%) were among the most preferred investment vehicles for 2025.

A Turning Point for Crypto

The 2024 U.S. elections seem to have marked a turning point in the cryptocurrency market. With an increasing number of advisors embracing digital assets and new ways of investing—including ETFs—gaining acceptance, wider adoption is set for the platform. As it becomes more easily accessible, with increased regulatory certainty, this could accelerate mainstream adoption of crypto into financial advisory services and change investment dynamics across the board.