The investment landscape is shifting beneath Wall Street’s feet. About half of exchange-traded fund (ETF) investors in the U.S. would like to buy a crypto ETF, a figure matching those who would like to purchase a bond ETF, indicating a significant shift in portfolio preferences.
This was one of the key findings of “ETFs and Beyond”, a research by Charles Schwab Asset Management. The research is based on online surveys of 2,000 individual investors, aged 25–75, who hold at least $25,000 in investable assets. Their findings showed 45% express interest in cryptocurrency ETFs. The research reveals sharp age-based differences: 57% of Millennials plan crypto ETF investments, versus 41% of Gen X and just 15% of Baby Boomers.
Low cost and accessibility are driving adoption
Bloomberg senior analyst Eric Balchunas says the data is shocking, noting that at present cryptocurrency represents merely 1% of total ETF assets under management compared to a 17% share of bonds.
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The main drivers behind ETF investment are affordability and accessibility. According to Charles Schwab’s 2025 “ETFs and Beyond” study, 94% of ETF investors agree that ETFs have helped drive down the cost of investing, while 52% value them for providing access to specialized strategies and alternative asset classes — including crypto ETFs.
“With more investment options accessible to individual investors than ever before, the way America invests and builds generational wealth is fundamentally changing,” said David Botset, managing director at Schwab Asset Management.
