A new RootstockCollective survey finds SG investors are notably more confident assessing BTC-related risk than their HK counterparts.
According to RootstockCollective’s new report, Bitcoin, Beyond the Hold, which surveyed 600 Bitcoin investors and decision-makers across Singapore and Hong Kong, most investors want their BTC holdings to do more than appreciate in price.
However, many investors remain hesitant because they believe putting their BTC assets to work requires some compromise.
Singapore vs Hong Kong: A Confidence Gap
Singapore investors are more confident in evaluating Bitcoin’s security and risk on their own than Hong Kong respondents. 85.2% of Singaporean respondents agreed with the statement, compared with 78.6% of Hong Kong respondents. Singaporeans are also more interested in putting their Bitcoin to productive use (91.1% versus 84.1%).
The same respondents are also more likely to say they’d hold a second Bitcoin-linked token only once they fully understand how it’s secured (68.4% versus 57.3%), and their top assurances are retaining full control and custody (29.2% versus 19.1% in Hong Kong) while having a local presence with regulated counterparties (27.5% versus 17.2%).
By contrast, Hong Kong investors appear more willing to commit, but want proof, such as independently audited infrastructure (23.6%), before taking the risk.
“Investors in Singapore and Hong Kong are clear that Bitcoin is an asset to hold, but nearly nine out of ten also want it to generate a yield,” said Charlie Hayward, APAC Regional Director at RootstockCollective. “The appetite is clear to see, and investors will begin allocating to productive Bitcoin once they see a route that lets their Bitcoin do more, without losing the qualities that made it worth holding.”
The Assurance Gap and Persistent Misconceptions
Nearly every respondent (98.0%) believes productive participation requires some compromise, most commonly around the security of the Bitcoin network itself (39.8%), technical complexity (38.0%), and liquidity (36.8%).
Many of these beliefs rest on misconceptions. 64.0% think participation demands deep technical expertise, and 63.0% assume any second token linked to Bitcoin infrastructure carries the same risk as a speculative altcoin.
Notably, participants who feel confident evaluating risk on their own are actually more likely to hold three or more misconceptions than those who aren’t (67.2% versus 52.3%), and even the 140 respondents already deploying Bitcoin hold the same average number of misconceptions as those who are not.
Active Backing as a Possible Answer
The report points to “active backing”, which involves committing to a network’s ecosystem tokens to support Bitcoin-secured infrastructure without selling or moving the underlying asset. When presented as an option that preserves full control and does not require investors to sell their Bitcoin, 82.8% said they would consider it. A further 62.7% said they would hold a second Bitcoin-linked token once they fully understood how it was secured.
The Bottom Line
Investors in Singapore and Hong Kong appear to have different preferences and criteria before committing further. Singapore investors place greater emphasis on retaining control and liquidity and having access to locally regulated counterparties, while Hong Kong investors focus more on the security model and whether the returns justify the risk.
Read the report here.
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