EU investors rank crypto above retirement plans for lasting wealth creation: OKX survey
Investors in several of Europe’s biggest economies ranked crypto above retirement plans as lasting wealth creation tools, with 19% of those surveyed choosing cryptocurrencies, while 8% opted for traditional retirement plans.
US investors still preferred traditional retirement plans, with 21% choosing retirement accounts while only 12% opted for cryptocurrencies, according to a Thursday OKX survey of 1,932 adults age 18 to 88 who previously invested in crypto. The survey was conducted by Pollfish between Oct. 14 and Oct. 18 across the US, France, Germany, the Netherlands and Poland.
Real estate was the top choice for lasting wealth, with 34% of all respondents choosing the broad class above digital assets and retirement accounts, as the asset most associated with lasting wealth.
Younger Europeans have previously shown concerns about whether their retirement plans will provide sufficient income. About 43% of 2,000 surveyed Europeans age 18 to 35 expected their pensions to fall short, according to a May 2026 survey by Friends of Europe’s citizen-engagement unit, Debating Europe.
“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 that crypto’s place in the wealth plan will become “more important” as these investors get older and wealthier.
Over half of US investors plan to increase their crypto holdings, while boomers remain skeptical
Nearly half of European investors, 47%, expect to increase their holdings, including 13% planning a significant increase. Across all age groups, 51% expect to increase their crypto allocation. Boomers are the exception, with 55% saying crypto is not important to generational wealth.
Excluding boomers, US investors generally are more bullish on cryptocurrency’s place in their portfolio, with 55% of surveyed participants expecting to increase their allocation in the next five years and 22% planning a significant increase.
Still, American boomers were more pessimistic about crypto, with 65% saying that crypto was not at all important for generational wealth building, compared to 44% of boomers in Europe.
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Trump administration broadens retirement plan access to alternative assets
To be sure, Americans are also more skeptical about crypto’s place in retirement accounts. 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.
Earlier, however, the Trump administration took steps toward broadening access to alternative assets in 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, returning instead to a neutral approach that neither endorses nor discourages crypto.
In August 2025, President Donald Trump signed an executive order directing federal agencies to expand access to alternative assets in 401(k) plans, including exposure to digital assets through certain investment vehicles.
In March 2026, the US Department of Labor issued a draft proposal seeking to expand investment options in 401(k) retirement plans to include crypto and alternative investments.
In June 2026, SenatorsBernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren and Representative Bobby Scott urged the US Department of Labor to withdraw its proposal to allow digital assets in retirement plans, arguing that the policy would “expose retirement accounts to exceptionally volatile assets, like digital currency.”
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