Gate TradFi User Profile Analysis: When Traditional Stock Investors Start Embracing the Crypto World

“Now, I manage my US stocks, gold, and Bitcoin investments all within the same account, seamlessly switching using USDT. This was unimaginable just a few years ago.” This veteran investor’s sentiment reflects the profound transformation happening in the investment world today.

The boundaries between traditional finance and cryptocurrencies are dissolving at an unprecedented pace, driven not only by technology but also by the real needs of global investors.

Global Asset Integration: The Boundaries Between TradFi and Crypto Are Disappearing

The landscape of financial markets is undergoing a fundamental reshaping. The total market capitalization of cryptocurrencies surpassed $2 trillion in 2024, while the number of global crypto users skyrocketed from 2 million in 2014 to 560 million in 2024, with an average annual growth rate of 70%.

Despite this, the average penetration rate of cryptocurrencies among internet users worldwide is only 10.33%, indicating huge growth potential. Behind this growth is the large-scale entry of traditional financial investors.

2025 marks a key moment for the mainstream adoption of cryptocurrencies. Milestone events include Circle’s multi-billion dollar IPO and the passage of significant legislation in the US such as the GENIUS Act and the CLARITY Act, providing clear regulatory frameworks for digital assets.

These developments not only pave the way for institutional participation but also lower the barriers for traditional stock investors to explore the crypto world. Stablecoins have become a core driver of this integration, with annual trading volumes reaching an astonishing $9 trillion, five times that of PayPal and nearly half of Visa’s.

Changing Investors: Who Is Moving from Traditional Stocks to Crypto Markets?

JPMorgan’s research paints a clear picture of the transition: young men are currently the main force behind crypto investments. Among active Chase checking account users, about 17% have invested in crypto assets between 2017 and 2025.

There are significant age differences: participation rates among Generation Z and Millennials exceed 20%, while Generation X is at 13%, and Baby Boomers only 6%. Gender gaps are also evident, with males in all age groups being roughly twice as likely as females of the same age to invest in crypto.

These transitioners are not blindly taking risks. Data shows that most crypto investments are relatively small, with median amounts less than a week’s income. However, it’s noteworthy that about 20% of crypto users transferred funds into their crypto accounts exceeding one month’s income.

Traditional brokers like Robinhood have keenly captured this trend. Their crypto business currently accounts for 21% of total revenue, even though stock trading makes up 88% of their total trading volume, with trading income only 7%, highlighting the more profitable business model of crypto trading.

Seamless Experience: How Does Gate TradFi Meet the Core Needs of Transitioners?

In response to the trend of traditional stockholders shifting to crypto markets, Gate TradFi offers an all-in-one solution that addresses three major pain points in cross-market investing: account fragmentation, settlement inefficiency, and ununified risk management systems.

This product allows users to use USDT as a unified margin to trade traditional financial assets such as gold, US stocks, forex, indices, and commodities within a single account.

Its core innovation is the USDx valuation unit, pegged 1:1 to USDT. When users exit trades, USDx automatically converts back to USDT, enabling near-zero-cost asset conversion.

The key difference between Gate TradFi and other platforms is its native integration. Unlike some exchanges that provide services through third-party platforms like MetaTrader 5, Gate TradFi is deeply integrated into the main Gate app, offering a user experience as smooth as spot and futures trading.

Traditional Investors’ Crypto Journey: Risks and Opportunities

For traditional stock investors, entering the crypto world means both opportunities and challenges. The high volatility of cryptocurrencies is one of their most prominent features. Bitcoin prices hit record highs in March and November 2024, sparking investment enthusiasm.

It’s also worth noting that the launch of products like Bitcoin ETFs has significantly lowered the entry barrier for crypto investing. Data shows that investors without a direct history of holding crypto assets are more likely to add crypto ETFs to their portfolios.

Traditional investors’ move into crypto assets usually follows a gradual path. Many start with mainstream assets like Bitcoin and Ethereum, then gradually explore more complex crypto ecosystems such as DeFi and GameFi.

In this transition, education and risk management tools are crucial. JPMorgan’s research indicates that although overall participation is rising, traditional investors’ understanding of the crypto space remains limited, highlighting the need for investor education.

Asset Tokenization in Progress: How RWA Is Reshaping the Investment Landscape?

Tokenization of real-world assets (RWA) is another key force driving the integration of traditional finance and crypto. As of mid-January 2026, the total value of tokenized assets worldwide exceeded $20 billion, reaching a record high.

Compared to $900 million at the start of 2022, RWA has grown over 20 times. Tokenized stocks reached a record market cap of $1.2 billion, while tokenized commodities exceeded $4 billion, with about 15% growth in the past month.

BlackRock’s BUIDL fund surpassed $1.7 billion in just one year, becoming the largest global tokenized money market fund. These figures clearly demonstrate strong institutional interest in on-chain assets.

The TVL of RWA protocols has surpassed DEXs, becoming the fifth-largest category in DeFi, confirming that the crypto space is evolving into a new scene for the global transfer and settlement of traditional assets.

Future Outlook

As traditional institutions like Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley begin offering crypto services, and as US custodial trust and settlement companies receive SEC approval for on-chain asset tokenization pilots, the transformation is inevitable. In the coming years, the RWA tokenization market is expected to surge to $16 trillion.

Platforms like Gate are building new bridges between digital and physical assets. With over 49 million users worldwide managing assets through Gate, a new era of investment—one account, two worlds—has arrived.

This revolution, sparked by technological innovation, will ultimately reshape everyone’s wealth allocation logic. The journey of traditional stock investors into crypto has only just begun.