This segment of the technology stock market attracts both active day traders and major institutional investors.

Fintech Emerges as Top Pick for Investors in 2026

• Mizuho Securities conducted a survey to gauge the perspectives of both retail and institutional investors regarding the market outlook for 2026.
• The results reveal a strong consensus between the two groups, with both expressing optimism toward a specific sector.
• According to the findings, enthusiasm for fintech remains high among both groups, while interest in cryptocurrencies appears to be fading.

Although retail and institutional investors often differ in their strategies, they are united in their positive outlook on a particular investment theme for 2026.

Mizuho's research, which included responses from 300 retail and 45 institutional investors, indicates renewed confidence in fintech stocks this year. At the same time, both groups report declining enthusiasm for crypto-related equities.

This change in sentiment comes after a challenging year for bitcoin and the broader crypto market, with bitcoin ending 2025 over 6% lower. Mizuho notes that while investors remain somewhat positive about crypto stocks, there is uncertainty about their future direction. Interestingly, institutional investors are showing slightly more optimism than their retail counterparts.

Fintech, on the other hand, is generating much more excitement among both groups.

As analyst Dan Dolev from Mizuho explains, "Retail and institutional investors both show a bullish stance on fintech, with retail investors rating the sector 3.1 times more attractive for 2026 compared to 2025, and institutions giving it a 2.7 times higher rating."

Dolev highlights that both groups are particularly interested in the consumer lending segment for 2026, pointing to companies such as SoFi Technologies, Affirm Holdings, and Upstart as examples. The survey also reveals that retail investors are drawn to payment and checkout companies like PayPal, while institutional investors tend to prefer payment network giants such as Visa and Mastercard.

Among institutional investors, there is a notably negative outlook on crypto treasury firms, which have struggled during the ongoing downturn in digital assets. For instance, the leading digital asset treasury company, Strategy, has seen its share price drop by half over the past year.

Dolev observes, "Both retail and institutional investors remain uncertain about the prospects for crypto in 2026. While a slight majority—53% of retail and 58% of institutional investors—expect next year to be better than 2025, there is no strong consensus on the direction."

When it comes to stocks of trading platforms such as Coinbase, Robinhood, and eToro, opinions are split between the two investor groups.

As Dolev further notes, "Retail investors are divided on crypto and retail exchange stocks like GEMI, ETOR, HOOD, and COIN, with 19% ranking them as the best sector and 16% as the worst."