Asian investors aren’t choosing between crypto and TradFi anymore
Gold has been a store of wealth across Asia for generations, yet access through traditional financial markets still carries familiar friction. Investors often need dedicated brokerage accounts, fixed trading windows and capital separated from money held elsewhere. What is changing is not what Asian investors want to own. It is how they access it. A […] The post Asian investors aren’t choosing…
Asian investors are no longer choosing between crypto and traditional financial markets (TradFi). The focus is shifting to how they access assets, as ease of access becomes the key factor. Gold has been a traditional store of wealth in Asia, but now it is being accessed through crypto platforms alongside other assets like Nvidia, Bitcoin, and Korean stocks. The same platforms are becoming popular for investing in precious metals due to their ease of use and familiarity to Asian investors.
Asian gold ETFs saw an influx of US$14 billion in net inflows in the first quarter of 2026, demonstrating strong demand for gold across the region. A significant 62.6% of surveyed crypto users in Asia now primarily trade precious metals through centralized exchanges, which is the highest share among all regions studied. Traditional financial institutions previously separated commodities, equities, and crypto, but investors are increasingly ignoring these boundaries and focusing on opportunities instead.
As evidence of this shift, precious metals accounted for 36.2% of total TradFi perpetual open interest, indicating that users maintain their exposure rather than engaging in short-lived trades. Furthermore, MEXC's average daily Asian stock-futures volume increased by 3,308% quarter-over-quarter in Q2 2026, while the number of daily users trading those products rose by 386%.
Across the centralized-exchange market, RWAs, forex, and tokenized stocks already account for over 12% of monthly futures volume, nearing US$400 billion in July.
This transition signifies a change in how investors perceive exchanges, seeing them as destinations rather than specific asset classes. With fewer steps involved in moving capital across asset classes on familiar platforms, investors can more easily access new opportunities. However, this increased accessibility comes with risks, such as overtrading due to leverage, which can be amplified by the speed of infrastructure scaling.
Therefore, ensuring proper understanding and risk management alongside accessibility is crucial for a successful shift in the financial landscape.
Written by urgent.news from e27's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
