Something is shifting in how ordinary people invest. Across Asia, Latin America, and Europe, investors who began their financial journey through digital asset platforms are increasingly building portfolios that look more like those of professional fund managers — spread across multiple asset classes, informed by real-time data, and increasingly assisted by artificial intelligence.
The evidence comes from a survey of more than 6,000 investors across multiple countries, published in May 2026 by Bitget, one of the world’s largest multi-asset trading platforms. The findings challenge a common assumption: that digital asset investors are a distinct category of risk-taker, separate from mainstream finance. In reality, the data suggests the two worlds are converging rapidly.
More than half of surveyed investors — 52 percent — now hold company equities alongside their digital asset portfolios. Another 35 percent hold gold or other precious metals. Commodities, led by gold, recorded the strongest quarterly increase of any traditional asset class in early 2026 — rising from near zero to between 20 and 40 percent of total trading activity on major multi-asset platforms within a single quarter.
The reasons vary by region. In East Asia, investors cited the ability to settle trades in stablecoins — avoiding currency conversion costs — as a primary motivation. In Latin America, 78 percent of surveyed investors said diversification and protection against inflation or currency depreciation were their main reasons for holding both digital and traditional assets. The pattern reflects a broader reality: investors are responding to local economic conditions using globally accessible tools.
Gold’s role in this shift deserves particular attention. Prices surpassed $5,000 per ounce in early 2026, responding to persistent inflation, geopolitical uncertainty, and a broader search for assets that hold value across market cycles. For retail investors, gold has historically been difficult to access without going through a bank or specialised broker. That barrier is diminishing. “Gold has always been a reference point when markets become uncertain,” said Gracy Chen, CEO of Bitget. “What is changing is how users access it. Trading is becoming more continuous and more connected across markets.”
On some trading days this year, traditional assets — including gold contracts, foreign currencies, and equity products — accounted for as much as 40 percent of all activity on major multi-asset platforms. This marks a significant shift from even twelve months ago, when activity on these platforms was concentrated almost entirely in digital assets alone.
Artificial intelligence is accelerating this behavioural shift. More than half of surveyed investors — 51 percent — said they already use AI-powered tools to support investment decisions. These tools analyse price movements, interpret earnings releases, and monitor macroeconomic signals across asset classes simultaneously — tasks that previously required either significant expertise or access to expensive professional services.
Bitget’s AI trading ecosystem crossed one million users in May 2026, generating over $1.2 billion in trading volume across more than 58 AI-powered tools. The milestone is notable less as a commercial figure and more as a signal: AI-assisted investing is no longer a niche behaviour. It is becoming the default.
In April 2026, Bitget ranked second globally in stock perpetuals market share and recorded $359 million in net inflows — second among all tracked centralised exchanges according to DeFiLlama data. The platform also received recognition as Best Global Multi-Asset Trading Platform at the Online Trading Expo in June 2026.
What the data describes, taken together, is an investor who is more informed, more diversified, and more technologically assisted than at any previous point in the history of retail finance. The boundaries that once separated digital asset investors from stock market participants, or gold buyers from currency traders, are dissolving — not because any single platform made it happen, but because the demand was always there. The infrastructure has simply caught up.
Note: Digital asset trading is subject to regulation in Cambodia under directives issued by the National Bank of Cambodia. Readers are advised to consult applicable local regulations and seek independent financial advice before engaging with any digital asset platform.