Bitget, the world’s largest Universal Exchange (UEX), has released the Bitget User Asset Allocation Report 2026 with data showing that retail investors are expanding beyond crypto into commodities, equities, and AI-assisted investing as portfolio construction becomes more diversified across global asset classes.
The findings combine trading activity on Bitget with responses from more than 6,000 users globally.
Crypto remained the main source of trading activity in Q1 2026, with 86% of surveyed users holding crypto assets.
Crypto accounted for nearly all trading volume in early January before stabilizing in a 60% to 80% range by March as participation broadened into other markets.
Over the same period, trading in traditional assets led by gold rose from near zero to between 20% and 40% of total activity, marking the strongest quarterly increase recorded for non-crypto assets on Bitget.
The data highlighted that 52% of users globally now hold equities alongside crypto, while 35% hold gold or other precious metals, making commodities the most widely adopted non-crypto asset category among surveyed participants.
AI and precious metals or crude oil emerged as the two themes users most closely associate with investment opportunities in 2026.
Among high-net-worth participants, diversification is accelerating further.
Bitget users recorded an average annual return of 13% in 2025, while around 6% of VIP users achieved annual returns between 51% and 100%.
Among surveyed high-value users, 74% said they plan to expand across crypto, equities, and commodities in 2026 to manage risk more actively.
Regional trading preferences continue to reflect local macro conditions.
In East Asia, 60% of users ranked avoiding currency conversion as a key reason for using USDT settlement, while 48% prioritized avoiding traditional account-opening requirements.
In Southeast Asia, 46% of users identified leverage access as a major reason for trading traditional assets.
In Latin America, 78% said diversification and protection against inflation or currency depreciation are their main reasons for holding both crypto and traditional assets.
AI adoption is also becoming part of core trading behavior. 51% of surveyed users said they already use AI tools to support investment decisions.
Bitget’s AI products, including GetAgent, GetClaw, and Agent Hub, are increasingly used to interpret earnings releases, commodity price moves, macroeconomic developments, and onchain signals across asset classes.
Retail trading behavior is becoming more macro-aware. Users are moving capital across asset classes based on liquidity, volatility, and market access, and they increasingly expect one platform to support that efficiently. Stablecoin-based settlement is becoming a practical entry point for broader market participation. The stronger demand for commodities, equities, and AI tools shows that users are building portfolios around global signals, not around a single asset category.
Survey results also show a strong demand for the Universal Exchange model.
71% of users identified USDT settlement as the most important feature, while 65% ranked the fast switching across crypto, equities, forex, and commodities within one account as a top priority.
Users consistently described the ideal trading platform as one that combines global asset access, stablecoin settlement, centralized liquidity, transparent reserve verification, and AI-assisted decision tools within one system.
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