Key Takeaways
- • CoinShares' October 2026 Digital Asset Fund Manager Survey, published November 10, 2026, found Bitcoin holds the strongest growth outlook of any digital asset among the 28 surveyed investors, who together oversee approximately $642 billion in AUM.
- • The average digital asset allocation among respondents rose to 1.3% from 1.2% in July 2026, a gain of one-tenth of a percentage point over one quarter.
- • Diversification was the primary reason for investing, cited by 40% of respondents, while speculative motives fell below 9% and ranked fifth.
- • Bitcoin and Ethereum together accounted for 47% of portfolio positioning responses, with Ethereum and Solana sentiment improving slightly.
- • Interest rotated toward newer tokens including Hyperliquid, SUI, Uniswap, NEAR, Aave and Chainlink, while managers pulled back from multi-asset strategies and some older altcoins.
Summary
Institutional money managers continue to favor Bitcoin, according to CoinShares' latest fund manager survey, which found Bitcoin holds the strongest growth outlook of any digital asset. Sentiment toward Ethereum and Solana improved slightly compared with earlier editions of the survey. The poll, CoinShares' October 2026 Digital Asset Fund Manager Survey, was published on November 10, 2026, and drew 28 investors who together oversee approximately $642 billion in assets under management.
The average digital asset allocation among respondents rose to 1.3%, up from 1.2% in July 2026. Bitcoin and Ethereum together accounted for 47% of portfolio positioning responses. Respondents also pulled back from multi-asset strategies and from some older altcoins, shifting preferences toward newer names. The survey flagged Hyperliquid, SUI, Uniswap, NEAR, Aave and Chainlink as tokens drawing increased interest. Uniswap and Aave are decentralized finance protocols for trading and lending, Chainlink supplies outside data to blockchains, and NEAR and SUI are general-purpose networks competing for developers and users.
The survey's most notable finding concerns investor motive. Diversification emerged as the primary reason for investing, cited by 40% of respondents, with CoinShares noting the shift was especially visible among family offices and individual investors. Speculative motives fell below 9% and ranked fifth. CoinShares attributes the small rise in average allocation to this diversification focus rather than to speculative appetite.
The survey, which CoinShares has run quarterly since 2021, indicates institutional crypto exposure remains small, with a 1.3% average allocation implying that most of these portfolios remain in traditional assets. The concentration in Bitcoin and Ethereum suggests the majors will likely continue to absorb the bulk of institutional flows. The rotation toward newer tokens indicates managers are willing to make targeted bets beyond the majors, and the pullback from multi-asset strategies suggests a preference for selecting specific assets over broad baskets.
The average digital asset allocation among respondents rose to 1.3%, up from 1.2% in July 2026. Bitcoin and Ethereum together accounted for 47% of portfolio positioning responses. Respondents also pulled back from multi-asset strategies and from some older altcoins, shifting preferences toward newer names. The survey flagged Hyperliquid, SUI, Uniswap, NEAR, Aave and Chainlink as tokens drawing increased interest. Uniswap and Aave are decentralized finance protocols for trading and lending, Chainlink supplies outside data to blockchains, and NEAR and SUI are general-purpose networks competing for developers and users.
The survey's most notable finding concerns investor motive. Diversification emerged as the primary reason for investing, cited by 40% of respondents, with CoinShares noting the shift was especially visible among family offices and individual investors. Speculative motives fell below 9% and ranked fifth. CoinShares attributes the small rise in average allocation to this diversification focus rather than to speculative appetite.
The survey, which CoinShares has run quarterly since 2021, indicates institutional crypto exposure remains small, with a 1.3% average allocation implying that most of these portfolios remain in traditional assets. The concentration in Bitcoin and Ethereum suggests the majors will likely continue to absorb the bulk of institutional flows. The rotation toward newer tokens indicates managers are willing to make targeted bets beyond the majors, and the pullback from multi-asset strategies suggests a preference for selecting specific assets over broad baskets.
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