In its recent 2026 Global Family Office Report, JPMorgan revealed that 89% of these entities maintain zero family office investment in crypto assets. Meanwhile, a solid 65% of those surveyed prioritize artificial intelligence as their main strategic axis, marking a significant trend shift toward generative technology and private markets.
According to data provided by Kristin Kallergis Rowland, Global Head of Alternative Investments, the survey covered 333 wealth offices across 30 countries. These entities, managing an average net worth of $1.6 billion, seem to have relegated digital assets to a secondary plane, preferring the stability of private capital over the inherent volatility of the cryptographic market.
It is notable that healthcare innovation and infrastructure closely follow artificial intelligence in the preferences of large capital pools today. While AI dominates with 65% interest, digital assets barely capture the attention of 17% of global family office investment, exposing a stark real allocation gap that challenges the optimism often found within retail markets.
Although aspirations are high, the report highlights that more than half of these offices lack direct exposure to growth venture capital. This paradox implies that, despite pointing to AI as a priority, many firms have not deployed capital into the investment vehicles driving this technology, remaining in an observational position regarding the rapid shifts in the broader market.
Furthermore, family office investment in Bitcoin represents a tiny 0.2% of their total global asset portfolios at the present time. However, this conservative approach contrasts drastically with specific movements in Asia, where some Hong Kong firms have allocated millions to crypto vehicles, seeking to capture specific arbitrage opportunities that remain outside the radar of traditional United States banks.
Why Does Institutional Capital Prefer AI Over Cryptocurrencies?
One cannot ignore that the regulatory environment and volatility have influenced the risk perception of many global wealth managers. On the other hand, family office investment is moving toward private markets, which lead the planned allocation increases, consolidating strategic alternatives as fundamental pillars within their diversified long-term portfolios instead of speculative digital tokens.
Despite the general caution, sector voices like Muhammed Yesilhark from NOIA Capital suggest a transition toward more structured and professional allocations. According to this expert, investors are moving from being simple experimenters to professional capital allocators, integrating digital assets in modest amounts under regulated custody, which could change JPMorgan’s statistics in the coming years.
Therefore, the blockchain sector faces the challenge of convincing these high-net-worth individuals of its value as an inflation hedge. Surprisingly, 72% of these offices do not own gold either, despite geopolitics and rising prices being their top concerns, revealing an absolute preference for productive assets directly linked to immediate technological growth and scalability.
Ultimately, the outlook for family office investment in 2026 is defined by a massive bet on productivity driven by artificial intelligence. It is expected that the maturation of exchange-traded funds and greater legislative clarity will eventually attract those currently on the sidelines, allowing institutional capital to flow gradually into the digital ecosystem once risk conditions stabilize for good.
