Bitget UEX Report: Retail investors move beyond crypto as 52% Add equities and 51% use AI

Bitget has released its “User Asset Allocation Report 2026,” which shows that retail investors are moving beyond crypto into equities, commodities, and AI-assisted investing. However, crypto remains the main source of trading activity in Q1 2026, with 86% of surveyed users holding crypto assets.

The findings combine trading activity on Bitget with responses from more than 6,000 users globally, as portfolio construction becomes more diversified across global asset classes. 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.

Trading in traditional assets led by gold also rose from near zero to between 20% and 40% of total activity over the same period. That marked 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. Commodities are now the most widely adopted non-crypto asset category among surveyed participants.

AI and precious metals emerge as most preferred investments of 2026

The Bitget team noted that 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 also recorded an average annual return of 13% in 2025, while around 6% of VIP users achieved returns of 51%-100%. Among surveyed high-value users, 74% said they plan to expand across crypto, equities, and commodities in 2026 to manage risk more actively.

Meanwhile, 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.

Bitget CEO says retail traders are becoming more macro-aware

Gracy Chen, the CEO of Bitget, said retail trading behavior is becoming more macro-aware. She further noted that users are moving capital across asset classes based on liquidity, volatility, and market access. They also 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.”

• Gracy Chen, CEO of Bitget

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 on-chain signals across asset classes.

Survey results also show a strong demand for the Universal Exchange model. Notably, 71% of users identified USDT settlement as the most important feature. Meanwhile, 65% ranked the ability to switch quickly between 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-making tools within a single system.