Retail Investors Are Expanding Beyond Crypto, Bitget’s 2026 Report Finds

Key takeaways

• Bitget’s 2026 user report found that more than half of surveyed investors now combine crypto holdings with equities.
• Gold and other commodities saw the fastest growth among non-crypto assets traded on the Bitget platform during Q1 2026.
• More than 50% of surveyed users said they already use AI tools to support trading and portfolio decisions.

Bitget data points to broader retail investment strategies

Bitget, a cryptocurrency exchange that has expanded into tokenized traditional finance markets through its Universal Exchange (UEX) model, has published its User Asset Allocation Report 2026, highlighting changing behavior among retail investors worldwide.

The report combines trading activity from the Bitget platform with survey responses from more than 6,000 users across multiple regions. The findings suggest that while crypto remains central to retail trading activity, investors are increasingly allocating funds to equities, commodities, and AI-assisted trading systems.

According to the report, 86% of surveyed users still hold crypto assets. However, trading patterns shifted noticeably during the first quarter of 2026. Crypto initially accounted for nearly all trading activity in early January before gradually declining to between 60% and 80% of total volume by March as interest in traditional markets increased.

At the same time, trading activity tied to gold and other traditional assets climbed sharply from almost zero to between 20% and 40% of total activity, making commodities the fastest-growing non-crypto category on the platform during the quarter.

The survey also found that 52% of users now hold equities alongside crypto investments, while 35% reported exposure to gold or other precious metals. Bitget said investors most commonly associated AI and commodities such as gold and crude oil with major investment opportunities for 2026.

Among high-net-worth participants, diversification trends appeared even stronger. Bitget reported that users generated an average annual return of 13% in 2025, while roughly 6% of VIP users achieved returns ranging from 51% to 100%.

Additionally, 74% of surveyed high-value users said they plan to further expand across crypto, equities, and commodities this year as part of broader risk management strategies.

Regional trends varied depending on local economic conditions and market access.

In East Asia, many users identified stablecoin settlement as a practical alternative to traditional financial systems, with 60% citing reduced currency conversion needs and 48% pointing to fewer account-opening barriers.

Meanwhile, 46% of users in Southeast Asia said access to leverage played a major role in trading tokenized traditional assets. In Latin America, inflation concerns and currency depreciation remained key drivers, with 78% of respondents saying diversification across crypto and traditional assets serves as a form of financial protection.

AI-assisted investing and stablecoin settlement continue gaining momentum

The report also showed that artificial intelligence is becoming increasingly integrated into everyday trading activity.

More than half of surveyed users said they already rely on AI tools to help analyze markets and support investment decisions. Bitget’s AI-based products, including GetAgent, GetClaw, and Agent Hub, are designed to interpret macroeconomic developments, earnings reports, commodity price movements, and blockchain-related data across multiple asset classes.

"Retail trading behavior is becoming more macro-aware. Users are moving capital across asset classes based on liquidity, volatility, and market access, and they increasingly expect one platform to support that efficiently. Stablecoin-based settlement is becoming a practical entry point for broader market participation. The stronger demand for commodities, equities, and AI tools shows that users are building portfolios around global signals, not around a single asset category."
—Gracy Chen, Bitget CEO

Survey findings also highlighted increasing demand for integrated trading systems. Around 71% of users ranked USDT settlement as the platform feature they value most, while 65% prioritized the ability to move between crypto, equities, forex, and commodities within a single account.

The report suggests that investors increasingly expect platforms to combine global market access, centralized liquidity, transparent reserve systems, and AI-supported analysis tools in one place.

The bottom line

Bitget’s latest user report reflects a broader shift in retail investing, with users gradually expanding beyond crypto-only portfolios into equities, commodities, and AI-assisted trading. As tokenized finance platforms continue to grow, the line between traditional and crypto-based investing appears to be narrowing for retail participants worldwide.

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