- While institutional traders showing limited crypto enthusiasm with 71% having no trading plans in 2025, there’s a modest increase in active traders from 8% in 2023 to 13% in 2025.
- Traders increasingly view AI as more influential than blockchain technology, though this shift may partly reflect blockchain’s quiet integration into trading infrastructure.
- Market volatility emerges as a primary concern for 41% of traders in 2025, while Trump’s tariff threats against Canada, Mexico, and potentially the EU create significant market uncertainty.
A recent survey by JP Morgan shows that institutional traders still have little appetite for crypto – although things are slowly improving.
The number of institutional traders with ‘no plans to trade crypto/digital coins’ decreased by just one percent over the past two years: 72% in 2023, increasing to 78% in 2024, then dropping to 71% in 2025.
However, ‘plans to trade’ went up from 12% in 2024 to 16% in 2025, with no data available for 2023.
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The number who said they were already ‘currently trading crypto/digital coins’ went from 8% in 2023 to 9% in 2024 and 13% in 2025.
AI More Influential as Blockchain/DTL, Say Traders
An increasing number of institutional traders believe that artificial intelligence and machine learning will strongly influence trading, while the number who believe blockchain or distributed ledger technology (DTL) will influence trading is shrinking.
Source: J.P. MorganThe report also pointed to the increasing role of and interest in tokenisation, though this is likely to be more impactful on the back office than on traders.
Additionally, as trading platforms increasingly incorporate blockchain technology into their operations, traders may simply not be aware or care.
What these institutional traders do care most about though, is volatility. 41% of traders said that volatile markets would be their main challenge in 2025, compared to only 28% in 2024. Although that number is down 5 points from 2023, when 46% worried about volatility.
The Big Issue Right Now: Trump’s Tariff War
Not surprising that institutional traders also worry about tariffs, with 51% saying that inflation and tariffs will have the biggest impact on markets in 2025.
Source: J.P. MorganEarlier this week, US President Donald Trump threatened close neighbours Canada and Mexico with steep tariffs. After they vowed retaliation, the tariffs were paused for a month.
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But the fracas was enough to shake markets and cause billions in liquidations. The price for Bitcoin and other major crypto assets also went south, although they recovered somewhat since.
Yet, ongoing tensions with China over tariffs and looming tariffs for other jurisdictions such as the European Union (which has also promised to hit back) continue to keep traders on the edge.
At the time of writing, most cryptos are in the red, with the Bitcoin price down 7% on the weekly chart.
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