# Wealthy Investors Embrace Digital Assets as Crypto Market Navigates Higher Yields and New Funding Milestones
**A shifting landscape for digital finance**
A growing number of wealthy individuals are turning to digital assets, even as macroeconomic headwinds create a complex environment for riskier investments. According to a comprehensive CoinShares survey of over 2,200 affluent investors across seven countries, a majority now hold some form of cryptocurrency, with many planning to expand their positions in the near future.
At the same time, market dynamics continue to evolve. Bitcoin delivered a remarkable third-quarter rally, while traditional finance players like OKX and Strategy are making bold moves that signal deeper institutional involvement in the digital asset space. Here’s a closer look at the developments shaping the crypto business landscape.
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## Bitcoin Rallies Strongly but Faces Headwinds from Fixed-Income Markets
Bitcoin posted a 43% gain in the third quarter, marking its strongest performance since 2017 and extending a streak of consecutive weekly advances. The momentum briefly pushed the flagship cryptocurrency above $87,000 before a pullback brought it below the $83,000 mark in recent days.
Analysts at Delphi Digital, however, caution that sustaining this rally may become increasingly difficult. Elevated Treasury yields, now hovering above 5% and at multi-decade highs, are offering investors a compelling alternative to risk assets. The Federal Reserve’s September rate decision added further pressure, though softer-than-expected jobs data — just 29,000 positions added in September against forecasts of 80,000 — has reduced expectations for another rate increase in October.
Notably, some industry voices argue that the case for scarce assets like Bitcoin is not tied to interest rate cycles. Vanessa Grellet of Arche Capital highlighted the “debasement trade,” a strategy favoring assets like Bitcoin and gold as protection against the eroding purchasing power of government-backed currencies, regardless of the interest rate environment.
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## Survey Reveals a Wealthy Generation Comfortable with Crypto
The CoinShares survey, which included 2,230 investors with at least half a million dollars in investable assets, paints a striking picture of crypto adoption among the affluent. The seven markets studied were the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, Sweden, and Switzerland.
Ownership rates varied significantly by country. Roughly 70% of wealthy investors in the US, UK, Germany, and Switzerland reported holding digital assets, while Sweden showed a 54% adoption rate. On average, cryptocurrency accounted for approximately 10% of these investors’ total portfolios.
Perhaps most telling is the forward-looking sentiment: in five of the seven countries surveyed, at least 85% of investors who already hold crypto said they intended to increase their exposure in 2026.
There is also a notable gap between investor comfort and adviser guidance. In Switzerland, France, the US, and Germany, around 40% of respondents who worked with a financial adviser described their adviser as excessively cautious about digital assets.
Ric Edelman, founder of the Digital Assets Council of Financial Professionals, offered a note of caution on the 10% average figure. His own research suggests that current allocations of 2% to 5% are more typical among the general wealthy population. That said, Edelman advocates for much larger allocations of 10% to 40%, depending on an individual’s risk appetite.
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## OKX Secures New Funding at a $25 Billion Valuation
The global crypto exchange OKX has extended a previous funding round at a $25 billion valuation, bringing in an undisclosed amount from existing partners and new participants. The earlier phase of this round, which closed in March, included a $200 million investment from Intercontinental Exchange (ICE).
The latest extension drew participation from Standard Chartered’s SC Ventures, Qube Research & Technologies, Ripple, and Circle, the stablecoin issuer. OKX has declined to specify the exact amount raised in this latest tranche.
This fundraising milestone coincides with OKX’s push into traditional financial markets. The company, in partnership with ICE, filed with the US Securities and Exchange Commission to launch a tokenized stock trading platform under the regulator’s new innovation exemption framework. The platform’s actual launch depends on the filing and the granting of the exemption.
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## Strategy Shifts Capital Toward Equity Buybacks Over Bitcoin Accumulation
MicroStrategy — known by its ticker Strategy — is spending heavily on share repurchases, and the numbers tell a clear story. Last week, the company spent $176.3 million to repurchase 1.77 million STRC shares, which was more than six times the $28.7 million it allocated to purchasing 334 Bitcoin during the same period.
The Bitcoin buys brought Strategy’s total holdings to exactly 848,000 BTC, according to a recent 8-K filing with the SEC. However, the pace of Bitcoin accumulation has slowed meaningfully. Holdings grew by just 0.2% in the third quarter, as 7,218 BTC in purchases were partially offset by the sale of 5,553 BTC.
Meanwhile, STRC shares have rebounded strongly, trading around $99.53 after a dip to roughly $75 in late June — inching closer to the shares’ $100 par value.
In a separate move, Strategy filed a proxy seeking shareholder approval to pay dividends on a daily basis across its STRC, STRF, STRK, and STRD preferred stock instruments. Currently, STRC pays dividends twice a month, while the other three pay quarterly. Shareholders are set to vote on the proposal on October 28. If approved, daily STRC dividends would begin in November, with STRF, STRK, and STRD following in January. Strategy emphasized that the change would not alter dividend rates or overall payment obligations, though it could influence reinvestment timing, liquidity conditions, and price stability.
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## FAQ
**1. What did the CoinShares survey cover?**
The survey examined 2,230 affluent investors with at least $500,000 in investable assets across the US, UK, France, Germany, Italy, Sweden, and Switzerland. It assessed digital asset ownership, attitudes toward crypto, and future investment intentions.
**2. Why are Treasury yields a concern for Bitcoin?**
When Treasury yields rise above 5%, government bonds and other fixed-income instruments become more attractive relative to risk assets like Bitcoin. Higher yields can pull capital away from speculative investments and into safer alternatives.
**3. What is the “debasement trade”?**
The debasement trade refers to the strategy of investing in scarce assets — such as Bitcoin and gold — as a hedge against the declining purchasing power of fiat currencies. It does not rely on low interest rates or a specific monetary policy environment.
**4. How much Bitcoin does Strategy currently hold?**
Strategy holds exactly 848,000 BTC, as disclosed in its most recent filing with the SEC.
**5. What is OKX planning with its ICE partnership?**
OKX and ICE have filed to launch a tokenized stock trading platform in the US under the SEC’s new innovation exemption. The platform has not yet launched and is subject to regulatory approval.
**6. What changes is Strategy proposing for STRC dividends?**
Strategy is seeking approval to move from twice-monthly to daily dividend payments for STRC. STRF, STRK, and STRD would shift from quarterly to daily dividends as well. The change would not affect the total amount paid out.
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## Conclusion
The crypto landscape in late 2025 and early 2026 is defined by two parallel currents: growing confidence among wealthy individual investors and strategic capital moves by major institutional players. Surveys show that affluent investors are increasingly comfortable with digital assets, even when their advisers remain hesitant. At the same time, Bitcoin’s strong quarterly performance faces real competition from fixed-income markets still offering attractive yields, and companies like OKX and Strategy are reshaping their financial strategies in ways that blur the line between traditional finance and digital assets. Whether this momentum translates into sustained growth will depend on how central bank policies evolve, how regulators respond to new platforms, and how individual investors weigh risk against opportunity in an uncertain economic environment.
Thank you for reading.
