A recent CoinShares survey exposes a significant visibility gap in UK wealth management: 52% of financial advisers report that the majority of their clients’ cryptocurrency holdings remain outside their purview. The poll, which gathered responses from 261 wealth management professionals across Europe, highlights that this blind spot is driven not by investor reluctance but by firm-level restrictions.
According to the findings, 61% of respondents work for firms that either limit digital asset exposure or lack a clear internal policy on handling cryptocurrencies. CoinShares CEO Jean-Marie Mognetti described the situation as a “wrong-way risk,” warning that advisers are expected to manage portfolios without a complete picture of client assets. He stressed that clients have already allocated capital to digital assets, but internal rules prevent meaningful discussion or oversight.
The survey arrives amid growing crypto adoption in the UK, where the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) estimates 8% of adults hold digital assets. The regulator recently proposed allowing authorized investment funds to allocate up to 10% of assets to crypto exchange-traded notes, signaling an evolving stance. Meanwhile, industry voices, including Ripple executives, are emphasizing the role of payments and stablecoins in the next adoption wave, with the FCA also increasing scrutiny of large OTC crypto transactions exceeding $10,000.
