Wealth Transfer to Younger Heirs Could Drive Next Wave of Crypto Adoption
Zac Prince, head of Galaxy One at Galaxy Digital, told the Milk Road podcast that the coming intergenerational wealth transfer—chiefly from baby boomers to younger, tech-native heirs—could materially increase crypto adoption over time. Citing UBS’s 2025 global wealth report, U.S. households hold about $163 trillion in wealth, with baby boomers controlling roughly $83.3 trillion. Prince argues younger heirs are more comfortable with intuitive, app-driven investing and are therefore more likely to allocate a portion of inherited assets to digital assets instead of legacy instruments that require advisers or phone-based processes. The reporting references supporting data from Coinbase showing younger investors are several times more likely to hold non-traditional assets, and comments from Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong about Bitcoin and the U.S. dollar that underline institutional and retail interest. For traders, the key takeaways are: a structural demand tailwind for crypto markets as sizable wealth is reallocated over decades; retail onboarding and user-experience improvements (all-in-one apps, faster on-ramps) will likely be primary channels for inflows; and the shift implies potential long-term price support and greater market participation, even if timing is gradual. Primary SEO keywords: crypto adoption, wealth transfer, Galaxy Digital. Secondary keywords: retail onboarding, Bitcoin, UBS wealth report.
Bullish
The news points to a long-term, structural increase in demand for cryptocurrencies driven by demographic change and wealth reallocation. Large pools of wealth controlled by baby boomers (UBS data) could gradually move into crypto as heirs prefer app-driven, non-traditional investments. This creates a persistent demand-side tailwind that supports higher price floors and greater market participation over time. Short-term price impact is likely limited because the shift is multi-year and dependent on heirs’ behavior, regulatory developments, and macro conditions. However, over the medium to long term the narrative increases probability of steady inflows via retail platforms and improved on-ramps, which is bullish for major crypto assets (notably BTC) as adoption and liquidity deepen. Traders should watch retail onboarding metrics, custody/on-ramp product launches, demographic investor data, and institutional flows for confirmation.