Half of Asia Pacific’s Rich Now Sling 10%+ of Wealth into Digital Gold

Once upon a time, rich people in Asia Pacific treated crypto as the black sheep of finance.

Like the risky cousin you acknowledged at family dinners but never trusted with the silverware.

Fast forward to 2025, and those days are long gone. Now, nearly half of the region’s high-net-worth individuals, the so-called HNWIs are proudly throwing more than 10% of their portfolios into crypto assets.

Crypto has graduated from the fringes right into the mansion’s main hall.

Wealth diversification with a digital twist

The fresh Sygnum APAC HNWI Report 2025 surveyed over 270 investors across power hubs like Singapore, Hong Kong, South Korea, and Indonesia.

These people, sitting on at least $1 million in investable assets, aren’t playing around. 87% already own digital assets. This is quite serious wealth management.

What’s the big change? Crypto isn’t just a speculative rollercoaster anymore for these people, it’s now a bona fide alternative asset class, a real one.

The median crypto allocation among these investors is between 10% and 20%, averaging about 17%.

That’s nearly elbow-to-elbow with traditional investments like stocks and private equity.

And 90% of these wealth mavens see crypto as part of their long-term wealth preservation and legacy planning strategy.

It’s diversification magic with a digital twist, 56% cite that as their primary reason.

More money into crypto ETFs

But hold your bitcoins, the story gets even juicier. These titans expect the next crypto boom to start in the next two to five years, not in some flash frenzy next week.

Sixty percent are planning to increase their crypto slices, with bullish sentiments running around 60% among the millionaires and ultra-wealthy elite, those lounging on $25 million+.

Beyond the old faithful Bitcoin and Ethereum, demand is spiking for more exotic creatures. Enter Solana, the digital asset with the most appetizing buzz at 52%.

Multi-asset index products and XRP also have fans lining up.

Plus, 70% of investors would pump more money into crypto ETFs if they bundled in staking yields, because who doesn’t want digital assets that pay dividends without the annoying drama?

Making Asia Pacific a gateway for digital assets

Now, before the crypto party gets wild, these investors still want assurance.

Strong custody and security from private banks or wealth managers remain deal breakers. Experts say regulatory fog is thinning but still slows down the race.

Thankfully, policy clarity in Singapore and Hong Kong is setting the stage for a crypto-friendly ecosystem, making Asia Pacific a gateway for digital assets ahead of 2026.

Gerald Goh, Sygnum’s co-founder and APAC CEO, nailed it, saying that digital assets are now firmly embedded within APAC’s private wealth ecosystem.

Translation? Asia’s rich aren’t just flirting with crypto, but they’re committing to a relationship that’s only going to get more serious.

If the crypto market were a blockbuster movie, Asia’s wealthy have shifted from skeptical extras to top-billed heroes on the digital asset stage.