Survey: 65% of crypto and stocks holders say crypto has stronger 10-year potential

The rise of cryptocurrency changed how the world views financial freedom.

Decentralized finance (DeFi) offers speed and global reach like never before, and because of this, we’re seeing modern portfolios strategically combining digital and traditional assets, like stocks. 

This leads to some big questions:

1. How do these "dual-asset" investors view their crypto holdings alongside their traditional stock assets?
2. What could make their investing journey better?
3. Where are both asset categories heading in the next decade?

To find out, we surveyed over 1,000 U.S. adults who hold both crypto and stock investments.

Our results reveal insights about investor sentiment, user market predictions as well as the trading tools people need to manage their diverse portfolios.

While investors lean towards crypto when forced to choose, the data shows strong interest in unified trading platforms like Kraken and Kraken Pro that can handle both crypto and traditional stock trading options.

While 53% of respondents reported increased confidence in the U.S. stock market over the past year, crypto confidence surged even higher, with 61% expressing greater faith in the digital asset ecosystem.

This eight-percentage-point difference becomes even more pronounced when examining "significant" confidence increases: 28% reported substantially stronger crypto confidence compared to just 23% for stocks.

Furthermore, a greater proportion of investors reported decreased confidence over the past year in the stock market (26%) compared to the crypto market (16%), widening the overall confidence gap.

Where investors turn when markets are under pressure says a lot about what they trust.

For dual-asset holders, crypto appears to lead the pack during times of crisis. When asked what they'd do in a major global crisis in order to preserve capital, 33% indicated they'd put their money into crypto, more than any other asset class. That beats stocks (20%), real estate (16%) and even cash (19%).

Among the 1,000 crypto and stock holders we surveyed, 40% said that if they had additional funds available today, they’d put them into crypto, compared to 32% who said stocks. Another 26% would split new funds evenly between the two.

That preference for crypto over stocks doesn’t just apply to short-term trading strategies. When asked about long-term investment planning, many respondents showed similar preferences. Over the next 12 months, 69% of investors plan to increase their crypto allocation (27% significantly, 42% slightly), while only 7% expect to decrease it. 

This allocation trend could signal that crypto is no longer seen as purely speculative short term trade — it’s gaining ground as a long-term investment alongside traditional assets like stocks, bonds and other mature asset classes.

Our survey's trends also show interesting variations when broken down by gender. Men show slightly more immediate crypto investment plans plans, with 74% planning to increase their crypto allocation in the next year (30% significantly, 44% slightly) compared to 59% of women (21% significantly, 38% slightly). 

Women are more likely to maintain stable crypto positions, with 28% planning to keep their crypto allocation unchanged, versus 20% of men.

When it comes to stock investment planning, the gender gap narrows. Men plan to increase stock allocations at 67% (24% significantly, 43% slightly), while women follow at 54% (17% significantly, 37% slightly). 

Despite some variations by gender, these allocation patterns reveal a stronger appetite for crypto investment.

This could suggest that investors are comfortable allocating digital assets as a core component of their long-term wealth-building strategy.

Investors have long praised the traditional "60/40" portfolio, dedicating 60% of their investments to stocks and the remaining 40% to bonds or other fixed-income investments.

This basic concept aims to provide growth through equities while maintaining stability through fixed income. 

However, our data suggests a potential fundamental shift taking place across the modern digital economy.

This could indicate the early signs of a new portfolio paradigm where, rather than occupying a small speculative position, cryptourrency is a core portfolio component worthy of meaningful allocation.

Whether you're looking to harness crypto's growth potential or maintain the stock market's stability, investing in both shouldn't mean juggling multiple platforms. At Kraken, U.S. investors* can seamlessly trade both crypto and traditional assets from one secure, trusted platform.

Start building your dual-asset portfolio with Kraken today.

While crypto and stocks are both investment assets, they operate in different ecosystems. 

Stocks represent ownership in a company, so when someone buys a stock, they're buying a share of that company’s future earnings and growth. They're regulated by government agencies like the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and trade on centralized exchanges that do not offer trading on the weekend. 

Crypto assets, on the other hand, are digital and decentralized. They’re powered by blockchain technology and often governed by code or community rather than a central authority. Most crypto markets are open 24/7, offering more flexibility and volatility than traditional markets.

Both crypto and stocks can be part of a diversified investment portfolio.

Cryptocurrency stocks are shares of publicly traded companies that operate in the crypto industry. These might include crypto exchanges, mining firms, blockchain technology providers or companies that hold significant digital asset reserves on their balance sheets. 

For example, Bitcoin stocks are traditional financial assets often linked to the Bitcoin cryptocurrency.

Unlike cryptocurrencies, these stocks trade on traditional stock markets and follow the same regulatory rules as other equities. They offer exposure to the growth of the crypto sector without requiring direct ownership of digital assets.

Deciding whether to invest in crypto or stocks depends on your financial goals, investment style and risk appetite. Those looking for steady, long-term growth with predictable returns might favor one over the other for a variety of reasons.

Crypto may appeal more to those with a higher risk tolerance or an interest in emerging technologies. It’s fast-moving, trades around the clock and offers exposure to a new class of digital assets with unique use cases.

Many investors build portfolios that include both, rather than choosing one asset over another. However, specific allocation comes down to how actively someone wants to manage their investments and what they’re aiming to achieve.

We partnered with Centiment to survey U.S. residents over 18 years old. The survey was completed on June 29, 2025. All questions were directed specifically at U.S. adults who currently hold both cryptocurrency (in any form) and stocks (including 401(k)s, brokerage accounts, etc.), with no minimum balance required. This resulted in a targeted sample of 1,030 qualified respondents.

Because there is limited public data on the number of Americans who hold both crypto and stocks, we based our population estimate on the broader figure of U.S. crypto holders — approximately 65 million adults. The true population size of dual-asset holders may be smaller, so the reported ±3% margin of error at a 95% confidence level is a conservative estimate.

Where gender comparisons are noted, sample sizes include 634 male-identifying and 322 female-identifying respondents. These groups carry a ±4% and ±5% margin of error, respectively, at a 95% confidence level.