Research Study
Institutional Interest in Blockchain Applications and Digital Assets
Additional insights from the 2022 Institutional Investor Digital Assets Study
by Fidelity Digital Assets
April 26, 2023 • 30 min read
Since 2018, Fidelity Digital AssetsSM has conducted an annual study to better understand institutional investors’ perceptions of and approaches to digital assets. In this paper, a follow up to our initial 2022 Institutional Investor Digital Assets Study Key Findings Report, we explore key data from the study that reveal trends in sentiment across the U.S., Europe, and Asia around decentralized finance (DeFi), central bank digital currencies (CBDCs), environmental and cryptocurrency mining concerns, and institutional investors’ preferences for investment products and their custody practices.
In this report, we answer a few key questions using the data from the study:
- If nearly 6 in 10 surveyed institutional investors invest in digital assets, why is the asset class relatively small?
- What are the most important factors for surveyed institutions when considering a digital asset custodian?
- How familiar are institutional investor respondents with bitcoin mining and do they view mining as an investment opportunity?
- Are the surveyed institutional investors interested in participating in DeFi or investing in the tokenization of real-world assets?
The research survey for this study was led by Fidelity Consulting and Strategic Insights with Fidelity Digital AssetsSM and The Fidelity Center for Applied TechnologySM. Conducted by Coalition Greenwich, the research followed a similar methodology to the previous three years, comprised of a detailed survey to better understand the overall attitudes and behaviors of institutional investors as it relates to digital assets. Field work was conducted between January 2, 2022, and June 24, 2022, with a total of 1,052 blind interviews of professionals from a variety of firms, completed via a mix of online surveys and one-to-one phone sessions. As in previous years, the survey spanned a variety of high-net-worth individuals and institutional investor segments, including financial advisors, family offices, crypto hedge and venture funds, traditional hedge funds, endowments and foundations, as well as pension funds and defined benefit plans.
The information herein was prepared by Fidelity Digital Asset Services, LLC and Fidelity Digital Assets, Ltd. It is for informational purposes only and is not intended to constitute a recommendation, investment advice of any kind, or an offer or the solicitation of an offer to buy or sell securities or other assets. Please perform your own research and consult a qualified advisor to see if digital assets are an appropriate investment option.
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