Crypto investors tend to favor traditional metrics when deciding where to deploy their cash over newer and blockchain-specific measures, according to a new survey from technology and trading provider Broadridge Financial Solutions.

The firm questioned 2,000 investors in the U.S., Canada and the UK with guidance from Dr. Chris Brummer, the Agnes Williams Sesquicentennial Professor of Financial Technology at Georgetown Law, Broadridge said in a statement today. Just more than half of respondents ranked risk factors and security as well as cash flows related to the crypto asset as most important. About 43 percent said the holdings of the management team were paramount. That compares to 13 percent who said tokenomics was a key measure and 19 percent who said network performance topped their list.  

Broadridge said investors should embrace the new analytical tools like network performance and tokenomics for the insights they provide.

“Network performance, for example, can provide a real-time view on how the platform behind the crypto asset is performing, how holders are engaging with the platform, as well as the number of active projects – data any investor needs to know,” the firm said in the statement. “In a similar vein, the tokenomics of a coin reflect and can determine the current and future supply of a particular asset.”

source: Broadridge

The average crypto holdings for respondents in the U.S. and Canada was $340,000 while the UK investors held about $96,000, Broadridge said. Crypto accounted for about 28 percent of the respondents’ total assets, while 18.3 percent said digital assets make up more than half of their total investments. Bitcoin was the most-popular asset held, with over 70 percent saying the owned the world’s most-valuable digital coin, followed closely by other crypto like Ethereum and others at just under 70 percent.

Broadridge asked the survey takers why they were investing in crypto in the first place. “Over 65 percent of respondents suggested their holdings represented a long-term investment, suggesting that, contrary to popular perception, most participants may not be speculators,” Broadridge said in the statement.  “Additionally, 47percent of respondents answered that their investments in the space were being used to educate themselves, suggesting a ‘learning by doing’ approach by investors.”

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The largest group of respondents identified themselves as “experienced traders” followed closely by “technology experts,” Broadridge said. Experienced traders held tokenomics and network performance in higher regard than other survey takers, yet not by much.

“Presumably, the more experienced the investor or holder, the more they might support or value crypto-native disclosure items,” Broadridge said. “Our results, however, were mixed.” In this group, 30 percent said network performance was important and 21 percent listed tokenomics as important, Broadridge found.

Answers from experienced traders in the Broadridge survey

“To help better inform and educate investors, metrics that track crypto asset performance should be standardized, better disclosed and made more easily accessible, especially for retail investors needing the most relevant information and support possible to make informed decisions,” Rob Krugman, chief digital officer at Broadridge said in the statement. “For any market to survive and grow, you need trust, and trust isn’t possible without transparency.”