Trump Win Boosts Advisor Interest in Crypto as Spot Bitcoin ETFs Celebrate Strong First Year

As record-breaking Spot Bitcoin ETFs in the U.S. hit their 1-year anniversary, new research shows Trump’s election has advisors feeling bullish on crypto assets in 2025
Trump cryptocurrency
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A new report has found the number of financial advisors allocating crypto to their clients rose to 22% in 2024—which is exactly double the percentage from 2023. And 56% of advisors said they were more likely to invest in crypto in 2025 as a result of Donald Trump’s return to the White House.

Spot Bitcoin ETF
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These are among the key findings from the seventh annual Bitwise/VettaFi 2025 Benchmark Survey of Financial Advisor Attitudes Toward Crypto Assets, released Jan. 9 by Bitwise Asset Management, a global crypto-specialist asset manager with more than $12 billion in client assets, and VettaFi, a leading data-driven ETF platform.

Initiated the week after the 2024 U.S. election, the survey provides a valuable window into advisors’ increasing enthusiasm for crypto on the heels of a landmark year that saw the approval of the first spot Bitcoin and spot Ethereum ETFs in the U.S.

It’s been almost exactly a year since the SEC announced the approval of Spot Bitcoin ETFs in a historic move for the institutional adoption of cryptocurrency.

Since trading began on Jan. 11, 2024, these exchange-traded products have far exceeded market expectations in terms of demand and performance and have had a significant influence on bitcoin’s price. Allowing investors to bet on bitcoin’s price without having to buy the digital asset has ushered in a wave of increased legitimization as products offered by Wall Street giants like BlackRock and Fidelity attracted tens of billions of dollars in fresh capital from investors seeking bitcoin exposure.

With one year now in the books, Spot Bitcoin ETFs have generated over $660 billion in trading volume. BlackRock’s iShares Bitcoin Trust ETF emerged as the clear leader in the class after breaking records as the fastest ETF in any asset class to reach most milestones and amassing over $50 billion in assets under management (AUM) in the past year. Fidelity’s product with about $25 billion and Grayscale’s fund with about $20 billion round out the top three.

The Bitwise/VettaFi survey provided additional insight into what may lie ahead for Spot Bitcoin ETFs.

“We have partnered with Bitwise to survey advisor sentiment toward cryptocurrency long before Spot Bitcoin ETFs changed the game, and we’ve never been more excited,” said Todd Rosenbluth, Head of Research for TMX VettaFi. “Based on the latest data, the future is very bright as advisors and investors gain more access and education about the potential benefits. Asset managers like Bitwise bring tremendous expertise to the ETF community and we are honored to work with them.”

When advisors were asked what crypto exposure they were most interested in allocating to in 2025, crypto equity ETFs were the favorite in the Bitwise/VettaFi survey.

The new survey also found that when choosing spot bitcoin ETFs, expense ratio ranked highest at 58% among the most important features. Interestingly, brand of issuer (46%) and issuer support (43%) came in above AUM (28%), suggesting the importance advisors place on subject matter expertise among asset managers in a specialized industry like crypto.

Access also remains a major barrier to adoption. Despite the emergence of spot bitcoin and Ethereum ETFs in 2024, the survey found only 35% of advisors said they are able to buy crypto in client accounts.

Boost from crypto-friendly Trump?

Trump supporting crypto
President-elect Donald Trump. Image credit: © Palinchak | Dreamstime.com

“If you had any doubt that 2024 was a massive inflection point for crypto, this year’s Bitwise/VettaFi survey dispels it,” said Bitwise CIO Matt Hougan. “Advisors are awakening to crypto’s potential like never before, and they’re allocating like never before. But perhaps most staggering is how much room we still have to run, with two-thirds of all financial advisors—who advise millions of Americans and manage trillions in assets—still unable to access crypto for clients. We see that changing in 2025.”

Why? For one, the incoming Trump Administration is expected to be the most crypto-friendly one to preside over the U.S. to date—and could remove regulatory hurdles and uncertainty keeping many on the sidelines.

Trump has floated the idea of creating a U.S. strategic bitcoin reserve, and there is an expectation of reduced regulatory oversight, which could lead to increased market volatility but could also foster the further integration of cryptocurrencies into traditional financial systems.

The Bitwise/VettaFi report noted that Trump’s win—combined with the 2024 success of spot bitcoin ETFs—helped bitcoin soar to an all-time high of $108,319.87 in December (stood at $96,822.46 during mid-day trading Jan. 14).

“We’ve seen investments in a variety of account types, and are committed to providing digital asset solutions to clients in a variety of investment vehicles,” Matt Horne, Head of Digital Asset Strategists at Fidelity Investments, told The Block in a Jan. 9 article. “Given these products have seen tremendous asset growth and now have a year of performance, we expect to see continued adoption across both the advisor and institutional client segments.”

More survey findings

• Client interest is stronger than ever: 96% of advisors received a question about crypto from clients last year.

• Those who invest tend to stay invested (or invest more): 99% of advisors who currently have an allocation to crypto in client accounts said they plan to either maintain or increase that exposure in 2025.

• Advisors are much more inclined to make an initial allocation for clients: Of those advisors who have not yet allocated for clients, 19% are “definitely” or “probably” planning to add exposure in 2025, more than double the previous year’s 8%.

• Many clients are investing in crypto outside the advisory relationship: 71% of advisors said “some” or “all” of their clients were investing in crypto on their own. These held-away assets represent a major business opportunity for advisors seeking to help clients integrate crypto into a broader wealth plan.

• Regulatory uncertainty, while still significant, has tapered: While 50% of advisors cited regulatory uncertainty as the top obstacle to future crypto investments, the figure dropped markedly from prior surveys, where it had ranged from 60% to 65%.

Over 400 financial advisors answered a series of questions on crypto assets and their use in client portfolios for the Bitwise/VettaFi report. Survey respondents included independent registered investment advisors, broker-dealer representatives, financial planners, and wirehouse representatives from across the U.S. The full survey results can be read here.

SEE ALSO:

• SEC Approves 11 Spot Bitcoin ETFs, Opening Floodgates

• Cetera Latest Big Wealth Manager to Jump on Spot Bitcoin ETF Bandwagon

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