Key Takeaways
- • 96% of professional investors express optimism about crypto's future as an asset class, compared to just 39% of beginner investors, indicating a stark confidence divide tied to experience and market familiarity among financially literate participants.
- • Regulatory uncertainty remains the primary institutional barrier, with 42% of finance professionals citing it as the main obstacle to greater institutional involvement, alongside volatility and governance concerns.
- • Experience correlates with risk perception shift: only 10% of finance professionals who personally invest describe crypto as primarily high-risk, versus 25% of the broader finance professional cohort, suggesting hands-on experience reduces perceived risk.
- • 38% of finance professionals holding crypto view it as a growth opportunity with strong upside potential, while only 8% cite current payments utility as a holding reason—highlighting that merchant adoption and regulatory integration are seen as critical future adoption drivers.
- • Sandmark's inaugural Crypto Intelligence Report surveyed over 5,000 finance professionals across eight major markets (Australia, Brazil, India, Singapore, South Korea, UAE, UK, and US), filling a research gap by focusing on financially literate institutional and professional investors rather than retail sentiment.
Summary
Sandmark released its inaugural Crypto Intelligence Report on April 9, 2026, revealing a marked divergence in institutional conviction toward digital assets as regulatory frameworks mature and professional experience accumulates. The research, conducted in partnership with consumer insights platform GWI, surveyed over 5,000 finance professionals and crypto investors across Australia, Brazil, India, Singapore, South Korea, UAE, UK, and the US—a deliberately targeted audience of financially literate participants working within and alongside the financial industry.
The findings challenge conventional assumptions about crypto adoption among institutional players. Professional investors demonstrate substantially higher confidence than retail counterparts: 96% of professional investors express optimism about crypto's future as an asset class, dwarfing the 39% optimism rate among beginner investors. This gap reflects growing institutional conviction rooted in direct market participation. Among finance professionals who personally hold crypto, 38% view it explicitly as a growth opportunity with strong upside potential, while the perception of crypto as a high-risk asset drops dramatically from 25% across all finance professionals to just 10% among those with direct holdings—indicating that hands-on experience materially shifts risk assessment.
Regulatory uncertainty, however, remains the binding constraint on broader institutional deployment. Forty-two percent of finance professionals cite regulatory uncertainty as their primary barrier to greater institutional involvement, alongside persistent concerns around volatility and governance structures. Current utility arguments carry minimal weight: only 8% of respondents cite payments functionality as a reason to hold crypto. Instead, wider merchant acceptance and regulatory integration into formal financial frameworks are identified as critical drivers of future adoption and institutional participation.
Michelle Fotopoulou, Chief Marketing Officer at Sandmark, emphasized the research's departure from typical retail-focused crypto surveys, stating: "Most crypto research focuses on retail sentiment. We wanted to understand how finance professionals—people who work with risk and capital every day—actually perceive and engage with crypto. What we found challenges a number of assumptions." The report underscores that as regulatory environments clarify and institutional channels open, the next phase of crypto market expansion will likely be driven by professionally managed capital supported by credible, data-driven market intelligence rather than speculative retail flows.
The findings challenge conventional assumptions about crypto adoption among institutional players. Professional investors demonstrate substantially higher confidence than retail counterparts: 96% of professional investors express optimism about crypto's future as an asset class, dwarfing the 39% optimism rate among beginner investors. This gap reflects growing institutional conviction rooted in direct market participation. Among finance professionals who personally hold crypto, 38% view it explicitly as a growth opportunity with strong upside potential, while the perception of crypto as a high-risk asset drops dramatically from 25% across all finance professionals to just 10% among those with direct holdings—indicating that hands-on experience materially shifts risk assessment.
Regulatory uncertainty, however, remains the binding constraint on broader institutional deployment. Forty-two percent of finance professionals cite regulatory uncertainty as their primary barrier to greater institutional involvement, alongside persistent concerns around volatility and governance structures. Current utility arguments carry minimal weight: only 8% of respondents cite payments functionality as a reason to hold crypto. Instead, wider merchant acceptance and regulatory integration into formal financial frameworks are identified as critical drivers of future adoption and institutional participation.
Michelle Fotopoulou, Chief Marketing Officer at Sandmark, emphasized the research's departure from typical retail-focused crypto surveys, stating: "Most crypto research focuses on retail sentiment. We wanted to understand how finance professionals—people who work with risk and capital every day—actually perceive and engage with crypto. What we found challenges a number of assumptions." The report underscores that as regulatory environments clarify and institutional channels open, the next phase of crypto market expansion will likely be driven by professionally managed capital supported by credible, data-driven market intelligence rather than speculative retail flows.
Go deeper than the headline
Research every firm in this story, track the ones that matter and get the daily briefing — free for 7 days.