More than one in three of the world’s richest people are ready to embrace cryptocurrencies before the end of 2018, according to new research.

Research by one of the world’s leading independent financial companies, has found 35% of deVere Group’s ultra-high net worth clients has already invested in digital currency or plans to do so by the end of the year.

The company asked more than 600 UNWI clients living in the US, the UK, Australia, United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Switzerland, Hong Kong, Spain, France, Germany and South Africa about their views of investing in cryptocurrency.

In response to the poll, deVere is adding even more digital currencies to deVere Crypto, the electronic wallet and trading tool.

New currencies for deVere Crypto

deVere Crypto users can now buy, sell, store, and exchange Bitcoin Cash (BCH) and EOS (EOS), alongside Bitcoin (BTC), Ethereum (ETH) Litecoin (LTC), Ripple (XRP), Dash (DASH), Monero (XMR) and Stellar Lumens (XLM).

Nigel Green, founder and CEO of deVere Group, said: “Adding Bitcoin Cash and EOS to the deVere Crypto app is part of our ongoing commitment to clients. The users of the app are demanding an ever-wider, diversified crypto portfolio as the crypto sector expands and moves even further into the mainstream.

“This mainstream expansion is clearly evidenced by the fact that more than a third of wealthy individuals around the world – who are already likely to be successful investors – are telling us that they already have exposure to crypto or that they will have by the end of this year.

Broader awareness

“The survey’s findings demonstrate that high net worth individuals are increasingly unable to ignore the huge potential of cryptocurrencies. There’s now surging public awareness of the value, need and demand for digital, global currencies in a digitalised, globalised world.

“I expect that a broader awareness and wider understanding of the crypto sector will grow exponentially in the next year as the tech that underpins it further improves, as major corporations and financial institutions embrace it, and as regulation is further developed.”

Ultra-high net worth individuals (UHNWI) have investable assets of $30 million or more, excluding personal assets and property such as their home and collectibles.