Younger Americans display increasing trust in cryptocurrency, whereas older generations continue to favor traditional banking systems, according to a new survey from OKX Insights.

The survey conducted in January involving 1,000 participants highlighted a significant generational split regarding trust and expectations tied to digital currencies. A larger percentage of younger individuals recognize the credibility of cryptocurrency today and forecast its central role in future finance.

Key Findings:

• High Trust Levels: 40% of Gen Z (ages 12–29) and 41% of Millennials (ages 29–45) rated their trust in crypto platforms with a score of seven or above on a scale from one to ten, compared to only 9% of Baby Boomers (ages late 50s to late 70s).

Gen Z and Millennials trust crypto more. Source: OKX

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Increasing Confidence Over Time
Younger individuals’ confidence in cryptocurrency continues to boost, with a notable increase from 36% of Gen Z and 34% of Millennials expressing heightened trust compared to January 2025. Conversely, Boomers showed static sentiments, with nearly half indicating no change in their perspectives.

Looking towards 2026, the intention to engage more in cryptocurrency trading resonates more with younger Americans—40% of Gen Z and 36% of Millennials plan to elevate their activities, as compared to just 11% of Boomers.

“The trust gap is fundamentally about how different generations define trust,” remarked a spokesperson from OKX, explaining the variances in trust models and values across generations.

Further, they noted that greater emphasis on clear regulations could alleviate concerns especially regarding consumer protection and market integrity.

Potential for Wealth Transfer
The disparity noted in the OKX survey might elucidate why some industry leaders see cryptocurrency’s long-term adoption as a matter of timing. Recently on the Milk Road show, Zac Prince, chief of Galaxy Digital’s banking initiative, Galaxy One, opined that an intergenerational wealth transfer could become a pivotal phase for crypto growth as older, more cautious generations transfer their wealth towards younger successors more inclined to invest in cryptocurrencies.

UBS estimates indicate that Americans possess $163 trillion in wealth, with Boomers overseeing more than half of this amount ($83.3 trillion). Prince contended that once this wealth transitions to younger generations, even a modest pivot towards crypto could have a pronounced effect on its adoption.