Bitget Report: 52% of Retail Investors Hold Equities Alongside Crypto, 51% Use AI Tools

• Bitget says 52% of users now hold equities alongside crypto as multi-asset investing grows in 2026.
• AI adoption rises among traders, with 51% using tools to analyze markets, macro trends, and onchain data.
• Gold and commodities gained traction as users diversified beyond crypto amid changing global conditions.

Bitget has released its 2026 User Asset Allocation Report, revealing that retail investors are increasingly diversifying beyond cryptocurrencies and into equities, commodities, and AI-assisted investing tools. The findings also reflect growing demand for unified trading infrastructure where users can access multiple asset classes through one account, collateral system, and settlement layer. 

The report combines trading activity on the platform with survey responses from more than 6,000 users worldwide.

Crypto Still Dominates, But Traditional Assets Gain Ground

According to the report, crypto remained the primary source of trading activity during the first quarter of 2026, with 86% of surveyed users holding digital assets.

However, the share of trading activity tied to crypto declined over the quarter as users expanded into traditional markets. Crypto trading volume, which accounted for nearly all activity in early January, later stabilized between 60% and 80% by March.

At the same time, trading in traditional assets led by gold increased sharply from near zero to between 20% and 40% of total platform activity, marking Bitget’s strongest quarterly growth for non-crypto assets.

The report found that 52% of users now hold equities alongside crypto, while 35% own gold or other precious metals. Commodities emerged as the most widely adopted non-crypto asset class among surveyed participants.

AI Becomes a Core Part of Trading Decisions

The study also highlighted how  AI is becoming embedded into everyday retail trading behavior. 

According to the findings, 51% of surveyed users already use AI tools to support trading and investment decisions. Investors rely on AI to analyze earnings reports, macroeconomic data, commodity price movements, and on-chain market signals.

Bitget said its AI products, including GetAgent, GetClaw, and Agent Hub, are seeing wider usage as traders seek faster interpretation of market data across multiple asset classes.

The report identified AI, precious metals, and crude oil as the investment themes users most closely associate with opportunities in 2026.

High-Net-Worth Investors Increase Diversification

Diversification trends appeared even stronger among high-net-worth participants.

Bitget users recorded an average annual return of 13% in 2025, while around 6% of VIP users achieved returns of 51%-100%.

Among surveyed high-value investors, 74% said they plan to further expand exposure across crypto, equities, and commodities in 2026 as part of a more active risk-management strategy.

Regional Trends 

The report also highlighted how trading behavior differs across regions based on local economic conditions. In East Asia, 60% of respondents said avoiding currency conversion was a major reason for using USDT settlement, while 48% cited the ability to avoid traditional account-opening requirements.

In Southeast Asia, 46% of users identified leverage access as a key reason for trading traditional assets on crypto-linked platforms.

Meanwhile, in Latin America, 78% of respondents said diversification and protection against inflation or currency depreciation were their main motivations for holding both crypto and traditional assets.

Demand Grows for Universal Exchange Platforms

Survey participants also showed strong interest in the “Universal Exchange” model, where users can access multiple asset classes from a single account.

According to the report, 71% of users ranked USDT settlement as the platform feature they value most, while 65% prioritized the ability to switch quickly between crypto, equities, forex, and commodities.

Bitget CEO Gracy Chen said retail traders are becoming increasingly “macro-aware” as they move capital across markets based on liquidity, volatility, and access opportunities.

She added that investors now expect platforms to combine stablecoin settlement, multi-asset trading, centralized liquidity, reserve transparency, and AI-assisted decision tools within one ecosystem.