EU investors rank crypto above retirement plans for lasting wealth creation: OKX survey

European investors ranked crypto above retirement plans for lasting wealth creation, while prior surveys show US investors are skeptical on crypto’s role in retirement accounts. Investors in several of Europe’s biggest economies ranked crypto above retirement plans as lasting wealth creation tools, with 19% of those surveyed choosing cryptocurrencies, while 8% opted for traditional retirement plans. US investors still preferred traditional retirement plans, with 21% choosing retirement accounts while only 12% opted for cryptocurrencies, according to a Thursday OKX survey of 1,932 adults age 18 to 88 who previously invested in crypto. The survey was conducted by Pollfish between Oct. 14 and Oct. 18 across the US, France, Germany, the Netherlands and Poland. Real estate was the top choice for lasting wealth, with 34% of all respondents choosing the broad class above digital assets and retirement accounts, as the asset most associated with lasting wealth. Younger Europeans have previously shown concerns about whether their retirement plans will provide sufficient income. About 43% of 2,000 surveyed Europeans age 18 to 35 expected their pensions to fall short, according to a May 2026 >survey by Friends of Europe’s citizen-engagement unit, Debating Europe. “When investors under 45 on both sides of the Atlantic treat crypto as part of their long-term wealth, it tells you crypto is now part of how people look at their finances,” said OKX Europe’s CEO, Erald Ghoo. He said that crypto’s place in the wealth plan will become “more important” as these investors get older and wealthier. Nearly half of European investors, 47%, expect to increase their holdings, including 13% planning a significant increase. Across all age groups, 51% expect to increase their crypto allocation. Boomers are the exception, with 55% saying crypto is not important to generational wealth. Excluding boomers, US investors generally are more bullish on cryptocurrency’s place in their portfolio, with 55% of surveyed participants expecting to increase their allocation in the next five years and 22% planning a significant increase. Still, American boomers were more pessimistic about crypto, with 65% saying that crypto was not at all important for generational wealth building, compared to 44% of boomers in Europe. Related: Settlement concerns prompt Euronext to halt CoinShares’ Zcash ETP ahead of debut To be sure, Americans are also more skeptical about crypto’s place in retirement accounts. An August survey from The National Institute on Retirement Security found that

📌 Recommended Exchanges

OKX | Binance | Bybit | Bitget | Gate.io