73% of Asia’s “affluent” investors intend to hold digital assets by the end of 2022, according to a new report from consulting firm Accenture. The same report highlighted that 52% of wealthy Asian investors are already holding digital assets. Asians Warming Up to Digital Assets According to research from Accenture published on June 6, digital assets, which include cryptocurrencies, stablecoins, and crypto funds, made up on average 7% of the surveyed investors’ portfolios, making it the fifth-largest asset class for investors in Asia. A survey was conducted among 3,200 investors and another of more than 500 financial advisors at wealth management firms across China, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Singapore, and Thailand. It was conducted between December 2021 and January 2022. Though half of the investors in Asia were already holding digital assets in Q1 2022, Accenture’s research indicates that a further 21% are expected to invest in them by the end of the year. This means around 73% of “affluent” Asian investors could hold a digital asset by the end of the year. The company defined ‘affluent’ as anyone that manages investable assets of between $100,000 to $1 million. Despite the growing demand for digital assets in Asia, wealth managers in the region are also extra cautious about offering such products to their wealthy clients. “Among firms’ barriers to action are a lack of belief in digital assets, a wait-and-...