Wall Street’s talent is eyeing the crypto floor. A new survey of executives managing $14 trillion in assets finds that nearly all of them now view digital asset careers as more attractive than a year ago… yet half still consider the professional risk too high to make the move.
London-based Nickel Digital Asset Management surveyed 260 institutional investors and wealth managers across seven countries in January 2026, commissioned through market research firm PureProfile. Respondents included executives at pension funds, family offices, insurance asset managers, hedge funds and wealth managers in the US, UK, Germany, Switzerland, Singapore, Brazil and the UAE, collectively managing around $14 trillion in assets.
Out of all surveyed TradFi professionals, 95% of respondents said careers in digital assets are more attractive now than 12 months ago, citing positive sentiment in the sector. Notably, 36% of financiers said DeFi careers are substantially more attractive than a year ago.
At the same time, most respondents were hesitant to change their area of activity right away. Out of precaution, 50% said career risks associated with moving to digital asset firms have increased, against 40% who said risks have reduced and 10% who said they are unchanged.
When asked what would most reduce career risk, 42% of respondents cited improved market liquidity. 36% pointed to greater institutional investment, 13% to regulatory clarity and 9% to better market infrastructure.
The sample included 108 respondents who do not currently invest in crypto or digital assets but intend to do so within the next 24 months.
The global crypto market capitalization was around $2.4 trillion at the end of Q1 2026, of which about $300 billion belong to stablecoins. While macroeconomic factors such as interest rates and geopolitical risk are strongly affecting crypto sentiment in 2026, institutional ETF flows also continue to influence pricing heavily.
