A survey finds 27% of UK adults are open to including crypto in retirement plans, exploring digital assets for long-term savings.
A new survey has shown that one in four UK adults is open to crypto retirement investments.
The survey was conducted by Aviva, and found that 27% of respondents are willing to add crypto to their retirement portfolios. This trend shows that digital assets may eventually compete for a share of the UK’s multitrillion-pound pension market.
Why Crypto Retirement Investments Appeal to Many
More updates from the survey showed that among those open to crypto retirement investments, just over 40% said their main motivation was the possibility of higher returns. Traditional pension assets, while reliable, rarely deliver the kind of explosive growth that digital currencies like Bitcoin and Ethereum offer during bull cycles.
ATTENTION: New Aviva survey shows that just over one in five UK 🇬🇧 adults (21%) – equivalent to 11.6 million people – claims to have invested in cryptoassets.
Shows that UK retail adoption of cryptoassets is significantly higher than most analysts think. pic.twitter.com/2gKUiMfr5E
— André Dragosch, PhD⚡ (@Andre_Dragosch) August 27, 2025
This hunger for growth shows an ongoing change in how individuals think about long-term savings. Now that inflation is weighing on traditional investments, many og these pensioners are seeing crypto as a hedge that offers both diversification and higher rewards.
Pension Withdrawals for Crypto Are Still a Risky Move
The survey also found that nearly one in four adults would consider withdrawing part, or even all of their pensions to invest directly in crypto. This indicates that these investors are aware of both the enthusiasm and the risks of the crypto space.
It is worth noting that UK adults collectively hold pensions worth around £3.8 trillion, or about $5.12 trillion. This would mean that even a small reallocation into crypto could inject massive capital into the market. However, regulated options are scarce, which has left many to rely on direct exchanges like Coinbase or Binance.
Lessons from the US Approach
The timing of the survey comes in line with a major policy change in the United States. Earlier this month, President Donald Trump signed an executive order that allowed 401(k) retirement plans to include Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies.
This opens more than $9 trillion in assets to possible crypto exposure.
🚨IT'S SIGNED: TRUMP UNLOCKS $12.5T FOR CRYPTO!
🇺🇸President Donald Trump has signed an executive order allowing 401(k) retirement accounts to invest in crypto — opening the floodgates to $12.5 trillion in capital. 💸 pic.twitter.com/D3CH1hojPR
— Coin Bureau (@coinbureau) August 7, 2025
The move shows the ongoing contrast between the US and UK in terms of crypto investments for retirement accounts. While American workers now have a pathway to regulated crypto retirement investments, UK pensions are facing far fewer choices.
This gap may push more British investors to start taking direct risks outside of pension structures.
Current Crypto Ownership in the UK
Aviva’s survey also showed that about one in five UK adults (around 11.6 million people have held crypto at some point. Two-thirds of these investors still own digital assets.
Younger investors appear to be particularly active within the space, because. Nearly 20% of adults aged 25 to 34 admitted they had already withdrawn pension funds to buy crypto.
This age group tends to view digital assets as a more relevant option and sees them as a more forward-looking option compared with traditional investments.
Concerns Around Security and Volatility
Despite the strong interest, there are still worries to juggle. The top problems identified by respondents were hacking/phishing attacks, regulation and volatility.
Respondents worried about hacking and phishing attacks came in at 41%. On the other hand, respondents worried about a lack of regulation sat at 37%, while respondents worried about volatility came in at 30%.
These risks are at the centre of ongoing debates about whether crypto belongs in retirement planning.
