UAE and Germany are set to strengthen their positions as market leaders on digital asset regulation

According to new research from London-based Nickel Digital Asset Management (Nickel) and shared with Unlock, 72% of wealth managers, pension funds and other institutional investors expect the regulatory environment for crypto/digital to improve and become more constructive over the next two years. Nickel commissioned research with 200 professional investors from across seven countries who collectively manage around $329 billion in assets.

The study reveals 23% expect no change in the regulatory environment, and just 7% anticipate it will deteriorate.

UAE to take a huge leap forward as market leader in the crypto/digital asset

Some 62% of professional investors expect Germany and the UAE to take a huge leap forward as market leaders in the crypto/digital asset space because of their proactive stance in developing a constructive and robust framework for the crypto/digital asset sector. However, this is likely to lead to other major countries following their lead as they fear missing out – this is the view of 63% of professional investors surveyed.

In terms of when professional investors believe financial regulators will agree a global framework for crypto/digital assets, 23% expect it to happen this year, 29% in 2023 and 28% in 2024, with the remainder anticipating it will take longer.

Overall, as regulation of the crypto/digital asset market develops, 20% of professional investors believe it will be a catalyst for a dramatic increase in wealth managers, pension funds and other institutional investors increasing their allocation to crypto and digital assets. A further 36% believe it will lead to a slight increase in their allocation.

Henry Howell, Head of Business Development, Nickel Digital, said: “We are only at the very beginning of the digital asset sector, and the most exciting developments have yet to happen. Record inflows of venture capital in 2021, continued product innovation at the blockchain level and ongoing adoption of the largest players in traditional finance all point to growth of the already multi-trillion-dollar asset class.”