The shifting landscape of modern wealth creation has revealed a striking transatlantic divide between European and American investors when it comes to long-term financial planning. A comprehensive new survey indicates that investors in several of Europe’s largest economies now place greater faith in cryptocurrencies than in traditional retirement plans as tools for generating lasting wealth. In contrast, investors in the United States continue to show a strong preference for conventional retirement accounts over digital assets.
The findings come from a survey commissioned by major cryptocurrency exchange OKX and conducted by research firm Pollfish. The study gathered data from 1,932 adults aged 18 to 88 across the United States, France, Germany, the Netherlands, and Poland between October 14 and October 18. All participants in the survey were individuals who had previously invested in cryptocurrencies, offering a targeted look at how crypto-engaged populations view different asset classes for long-term financial security.
According to the data, 19% of European respondents surveyed chose cryptocurrencies as a superior tool for lasting wealth creation, compared to just 8% who opted for traditional retirement plans. The sentiment underscores a broader cultural and financial shift taking place across the continent, where younger generations are increasingly looking outside legacy financial systems to secure their economic futures.
The picture looks notably different in the United States. US investors maintained a strong preference for traditional financial frameworks, with 21% selecting retirement accounts as their primary vehicle for lasting wealth. Meanwhile, only 12% of American respondents opted for cryptocurrencies as their top choice.
Despite the differing views on digital assets versus retirement vehicles, both European and American respondents largely agreed on the ultimate heavyweight champion of wealth accumulation. Real estate emerged as the absolute top choice for lasting wealth across all regions, with 34% of all combined respondents selecting the broad property class above digital assets, traditional retirement accounts, and other financial instruments as the asset most reliably associated with long-term prosperity.
The growing preference for crypto over pensions among European investors does not happen in a vacuum. Younger Europeans have frequently voiced deep-seated anxieties regarding whether their traditional retirement plans will be able to provide sufficient income in their later years. A stark illustration of this skepticism came to light in a May 2026 survey conducted by Debating Europe, the citizen-engagement unit of Friends of Europe. That survey of 2,000 Europeans aged 18 to 35 revealed that roughly 43% of young respondents expected their pensions to fall short of their retirement needs.
This pervasive lack of confidence in public and private pension systems has paved the way for alternative financial strategies. Erald Ghoo, CEO of OKX Europe, pointed to these generational shifts as a defining characteristic of modern finance.
"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," Ghoo said. He added that cryptocurrency’s established footprint in individual wealth plans is expected to become "more important" as these demographic cohorts grow older and accumulate greater wealth.
Over half of US investors plan to increase their crypto holdings, while boomers remain skeptical
The willingness to embrace digital assets extends directly into future portfolio allocations. Nearly half of European investors surveyed—specifically 47%—expect to increase their crypto holdings in the coming years. Within that group, 13% are planning a significant increase in their digital asset exposure. Looking across all age groups globally within the survey pool, 51% of participants expect to increase their crypto allocation overall.
Baby boomers, however, stand out as a definitive exception to this trend. Among older generations, 55% of European boomers stated that cryptocurrency is not important to generational wealth building.
When excluding the baby boomer demographic, US investors actually display a higher degree of bullishness regarding cryptocurrency’s place in their overall portfolios than one might initially assume. Among non-boomer American participants, 55% expect to increase their crypto allocation over the next five years, with 22% planning a significant expansion of their holdings.
Yet, American boomers remain notably more pessimistic about the asset class than their European counterparts. Sixty-five percent of American boomers surveyed said that crypto was not at all important for building generational wealth. This stands in sharp contrast to the older generation in Europe, where a comparatively lower 44% of boomers shared that negative view.
Trump administration broadens retirement plan access to alternative assets
While younger demographics continue to push digital assets into mainstream financial planning, Americans remain significantly more skeptical about incorporating cryptocurrency directly into formal retirement accounts. An August survey conducted by The National Institute on Retirement Security highlighted this caution, revealing that 77% of Americans consider holding crypto in workplace retirement plans to be risky, with 46% viewing it as "very risky."
Despite public caution surrounding workplace retirement plans, the political landscape in Washington has shifted to favor broader access to alternative asset classes. In May 2025, the US Department of Labor took a decisive step by rescinding crypto-specific guidance issued under previous administrations. The prior guidance had urged 401(k) plan fiduciaries to exercise "extreme care" when evaluating cryptocurrency investments. By rescinding it, the Department returned to a neutral regulatory approach that neither officially endorses nor discourages cryptocurrency within retirement portfolios.
That regulatory pivot was followed swiftly by executive action. In August 2025, President Donald Trump signed an executive order directing federal agencies to actively expand access to alternative assets within 401(k) plans. This directive explicitly included provisions for introducing exposure to digital assets through approved investment vehicles.
The momentum continued into early 2026. In March 2026, the US Department of Labor issued a formal draft proposal seeking to expand the menu of investment options available in 401(k) retirement plans to explicitly include cryptocurrencies and other alternative investments.
The policy shift has not gone uncontested by lawmakers who share the public’s caution regarding volatile assets. In June 2026, prominent Democratic lawmakers—including Senators Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren alongside Representative Bobby Scott—urged the US Department of Labor to withdraw its proposal allowing digital assets in retirement plans. The legislators argued in their appeal that the policy would expose traditional retirement accounts to exceptionally volatile assets, posing unnecessary financial risks to everyday workers saving for their golden years.
Comments (0)