Global study reveals growing use of stablecoin assets among wealth managers, institutional investors, and fund allocators, turning to DeFi for portfolio diversification.
Institutional investors and wealth managers are fast emerging as the biggest adopters of stablecoins, using them as the primary route into the decentralized finance (DeFi) ecosystem. According to new global research by Brava Finance, a non-custodial stablecoin management platform, 78% of professional investors already active in digital assets now use stablecoins to access DeFi opportunities.
The research, which surveyed institutional investors across the US, UK, UAE, EU, Brazil, Singapore, South Korea, Switzerland, and Hong Kong, reveals that nearly two-thirds use stablecoins for portfolio diversification, while 62% see them as a safe haven in volatile markets. Another 61% rely on them for fast, low-cost transactions, and more than one-third (35%) use them to generate yield through lending protocols.
Unlike more volatile cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin or Ethereum, stablecoins are pegged to fiat currencies, most commonly the US dollar, offering a predictable value and making them an attractive tool for risk-adjusted digital asset strategies. An overwhelming 99% of respondents said USD-pegged stablecoins are the most appealing to institutional investors today.
Brava’s CEO and Founder Graham Cooke said the findings reflect a structural shift in digital finance, where an ever-greater number of fund managers launch their own stablecoins, making the market more liquid, interoperable, and accessible to both retail and institutional investors.
The study also indicates that the momentum behind institutional stablecoin adoption is only accelerating. More than a quarter (27%) of respondents believe the number of fund managers launching stablecoins will increase dramatically within five years, while two-thirds (68%) expect steady growth in the trend.
