
Bitget's 2026 user survey shows 86% still hold crypto. Trading volume share fell to 60–80%, while equities (52% holding), commodities (35%), and gold-linked trades (40% of quarterly volume) gained.
Bitget’s 2026 User Experience survey captures a reallocation of retail trading flow that rewrites the economics of crypto-native platforms. 86% of users still hold at least one crypto asset. Crypto’s share of total trading volume fell to a range of 60% to 80% by March 2026. The gap between ownership and activity tells the real story: conviction remains, yet the capital that moves daily is migrating toward traditional instruments.
52% of respondents now hold equities. 35% hold commodities. Gold-linked trades accounted for 40% of quarterly volume. The data is not a sentiment poll; it is a record of actual trade execution on a platform that was once almost exclusively a crypto derivatives venue.
The 40% figure for gold-linked activity is the number that forces a strategic reset. Gold is not a directionally neutral substitute for bitcoin. It responds to a different macro regime, central-bank buying, and geopolitical demand. When a crypto-heavy broker sees gold volume rival crypto volume, the internal risk management and hedging desk must operate across two often-divergent correlation regimes. That operational lift is not trivial.
Gold’s rally through early 2026, testing multi-year highs, provided a trending market that crypto could not match after a 2025 where crypto volatility compressed significantly. Traders who once relied on sharp bitcoin swings for short-term gains found a cleaner trend in gold. The shift in volume mix means the broker’s revenue per trade changes. Gold and commodity CFDs carry tighter spreads and different liquidity provider relationships than crypto perpetuals. The fee generation model that funded aggressive user acquisition in the last cycle faces compression.
More than half of users holding equities confirms that embedded stock trading features inside crypto apps are gaining real traction. Several major exchanges rolled out fractional equity trading and commodity CFDs over the past 18 months. The UEX numbers show users are actively using those rails, not just activating them for a sign-up bonus.
A trader who generates 50% of their volume in equities delivers a different lifetime value than a pure crypto trader. Deposit bonuses, affiliate payouts, and liquidity provider agreements all recalibrate when the product mix shifts. Equities also introduce regulatory overhead that crypto often sidesteps, from custody rules to margin requirements. For a platform that built its cost structure on high-frequency crypto derivatives flow, the migration rebalances unit economics.
The sequence matters. The UEX data arrives after a period when crypto market analysis shows retail participation patterns shifting before institutional flow does. If the same cohort begins to unwind equity and commodity positions during a risk-off event, the selling could feed back into crypto through margin calls, especially among users who cross-collateralize across asset classes on the same platform.
The simple read is that retail traders are diversifying. The better market read is that fee generation across crypto-native platforms faces a structural challenge. When crypto trades drop from 95%–100% of a broker’s mix to 60%–80%, the revenue model shifts. Equities and commodities carry tighter spreads, and the net interest income from margin changes. Exchanges that operate as quasi-banks in off-chain settlement will need to hold a wider inventory of assets to support the broadening mix. That can introduce new capital charges if regulators treat equity custody differently from crypto custody in certain jurisdictions.
For traders tracking the rhythm of best crypto brokers, the UEX findings provide an early-warning signal. A second quarter where crypto’s trading share hovers near 60% would likely force more exchanges to announce multi-asset licensing moves or restructuring of trading-fee tiers. The follow-up UEX data, expected later in the year, will show whether the shift was a cyclical rotation or the start of a permanent reallocation that permanently alters the competitive landscape for crypto-first platforms.
Drafted by the AlphaScala research model and grounded in primary market data – live prices, fundamentals, SEC filings, hedge-fund holdings, and insider activity. Each story is checked against AlphaScala publishing rules before release. Educational coverage, not personalized advice.