Europeans choose crypto over retirement: striking difference with US
Crypto is gaining ground as a means of wealth accumulation in Europe. New research reveals striking differences with US investors.
Cryptocurrency is playing an increasingly important role in the financial future of European investors. A new survey by crypto exchange OKX shows that Europeans are more likely to identify digital currencies as a means of building long-term wealth than traditional pension schemes.
In the United States, the picture is remarkably different. On the contrary, investors are sticking more strongly to their pension provisions there.
The research was carried out by research agency Pollfish between 14 and 18 October. A total of 1,932 adults between the ages of 18 and 88 from the Netherlands, Germany, France, Poland and the United States participated. All participants had previously invested in cryptocurrency.
Of the European investors surveyed, nineteen percent see crypto as an important means of building long-term wealth. Only eight percent opt for traditional pension schemes.
American investors think otherwise. There, 21 percent prefer pension accounts, while twelve percent designate cryptocurrency as a means of capital accumulation.
Yet crypto is not at the top of the list. Real estate remains by far the most popular choice. Of all those surveyed, 34 percent see real estate as the most important way to build long-term wealth.
The results show that crypto has gained a serious place among existing investors alongside traditional assets. At the same time, it is important that only people with previous crypto experience were surveyed. The results are therefore not representative for all European and US investors.
The growing interest in cryptocurrency comes at a time when many young Europeans are worried about their retirement.
A survey by Debating Europe, part of Friends of Europe, showed in May 2026 that 43 percent of the 2,000 Europeans between the ages of 18 and 35 surveyed expect to receive insufficient pension income later.
Erald Ghoo, CEO of OKX Europe, sees that younger investors are increasingly taking cryptocurrency into account when planning their financial future.
He emphasizes that investors under the age of 45 on both sides of the Atlantic now view crypto as part of their long-term assets. According to Ghoo, this role will become more important as this group grows older and wealthier.
That confidence is also reflected in the investment plans. Of the European participants, 47 percent expect to own more cryptocurrency in the next five years. Thirteen percent even want to significantly expand their investments.
US crypto investors are even more ambitious. There, 55 percent want to increase their exposure to digital coins, while 22 percent are planning a major expansion. Across all age groups and countries studied together, 51 percent expect to invest more in crypto.
Older generations, on the other hand, remain skeptical. Among American baby boomers, 65 percent do not consider cryptocurrency to be important for wealth accumulation for future generations. In Europe, that percentage is 44 percent. In addition, 55 percent of all baby boomers surveyed say that crypto is not important for wealth that will be passed on to future generations.
While European crypto investors are increasingly looking at digital coins, a political discussion is raging in the United States about the role of crypto within pension schemes.
Research by the National Institute on Retirement Security found in August that 77 percent of Americans consider cryptocurrency risky within retirement plans through employers. Almost half, 46 percent, even find such investments very risky.
Meanwhile, President Donald Trump is trying to expand access to alternative investments within US pension schemes.
In May 2025, the U.S. Department of Labor repealed previous guidelines that called for extreme caution in crypto investments by pension administrators. With that, the ministry returned to a neutral stance.
In August 2025, Trump subsequently signed a presidential decree to make alternative investments, including certain investments in digital assets, more accessible within so-called 401(k) pension schemes.
In March 2026, the Ministry presented a proposal to further expand the investment opportunities within these pension accounts.
This led to political resistance. Senators Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren and Representative Bobby Scott called on the Department to withdraw the proposal in June. They warned that this could expose pension savers to exceptionally strong fluctuations in the exchange rate of digital currencies.