An estimated 67 million American adults, about one in four, now hold digital assets, roughly 12 million more than a year earlier. That figure comes from a survey of 10,000 holders conducted by The Harris Poll for the National Cryptocurrency Association, a nonprofit that promotes crypto adoption.
Independent research also shows growth, although at a slower rate. Pew Research Center found in January that 19% of U.S. adults had used cryptocurrency in some form, up from 16% in 2021. As more people enter the market, investors are paying closer attention to where they trade, and crypto firms are increasingly being held to the standards long applied to banks and brokers.
Crypto Has Become a Mainstream Investment
One reason crypto has gone mainstream is that it’s now much easier to invest in, and most investors choose between two main options. The first is a spot bitcoin exchange-traded fund (ETF), which tracks the price of bitcoin and can be bought through an ordinary brokerage account, just like stocks and bonds. Federal regulators approved the first of these funds in January 2024.
The second option, which many investors still prefer, is to buy coins directly through a crypto trading app. Bitcoin and Ether are the most popular choices, held by 74% and 53% of crypto owners respectively, according to Security.org’s 2026 report. Unlike stock markets, these apps let people trade at almost any time, including evenings and weekends, which suits investors who are used to managing their money from their phones. With this many options, choosing where to trade has become one of the first decisions a new investor makes.
What Investors Now Look For in a Crypto Trading Platform
Early exchanges competed mainly on how many coins they listed. Today, the first questions put to a crypto trading platform tend to be about custody. Investors want to know that their assets are held by a regulated custodian, kept separate from the company’s own money.
That emphasis owes much to the collapse of FTX in late 2022, when customer deposits were found to have been diverted to an affiliated trading firm, Alameda Research. The industry has spent the years since rebuilding confidence. In March 2026, a payment from the FTX Recovery Trust allowed U.S. customer claims to 100% of their value at the time FTX filed for bankruptcy. Regulators have pointed to the collapse repeatedly since then when calling for stronger oversight of the industry.
Beyond custody, experienced traders look for pricing that is published before an order is placed and for tools such as limit and stop orders, which let them set entry and exit points in advance. Spot trading without leverage appeals to many newcomers because positions are bought outright with funds already in the account.
New York’s Rules Have Become a Benchmark
Crypto investors in New York, including those in Rockland County, are covered by some of the strictest rules in the country. Since 2015, the state’s Department of Financial Services (DFS) has generally required companies offering crypto services to New York residents to hold either a BitLicense or a limited purpose trust charter. To get one, a firm must pass a review of its finances and compliance controls, including capital requirements, a surety bond of at least $500,000, and anti-money-laundering and cybersecurity checks.
The department built on that foundation in September 2025 with updated custody guidance. Licensed custodians are expected to keep customer crypto separate from company assets on both the blockchain and their internal ledgers, and to explain in writing how those holdings are kept. The goal is to make sure a customer’s bitcoin remains the customer’s property even if the company goes bankrupt.
California’s Digital Financial Assets Law borrows heavily from New York’s approach, and federal policy has been moving in a similar direction.
Washington Is Moving Toward Clearer Rules
At the federal level, the GENIUS Act, signed in July 2025, created the first national framework for payment stablecoins, the digital tokens pegged to the U.S. dollar that are used to move money around crypto markets. Supporters saw it as a milestone for an industry that had long asked for clear rules.
A broader bill, the CLARITY Act, aims to settle which regulator oversees which digital assets by splitting responsibility between the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC). It passed the House by 294-134 that same month, with support from both parties, but stalled in the Senate when a procedural vote failed 49–50 on September 15, 2026. A motion to reconsider has since been filed, leaving room for another attempt.
Until federal rules are settled, investors rely largely on state licensing and on what platforms disclose about themselves, so it helps to know what to look for.
How Newcomers Can Trade With Confidence
A few simple habits can help newcomers avoid the most common problems. The first is to check a firm’s license directly with the regulator, which takes only a few minutes. That check matters more than ever, as the FBI received 61,559 complaints about crypto investment fraud in 2025, up 48% from the year before, and many involved fake investment platforms. The FBI’s advice to anyone being pressured to move money quickly is to “take a beat” and pause before acting.
Reading the customer agreement is time well spent too. It should state that assets are held for the customer’s benefit, and the fee schedule should be clear before the first trade.
Crypto’s move into the mainstream has raised expectations of the companies that serve it. For the millions of Americans now in the market, and the many more considering it, that is an encouraging sign of how far the industry has come.
Full Fact-Check Log
Method: I researched each claim first, then a separate agent checked them against sources it found independently, over two rounds. Every correction it raised has been applied to the article.
Intro
#
Claim in article
Verdict
Source
Notes
1
An estimated 67 million American adults hold digital assets, about one in four
âś… Verified
NCA release, Business Wire, May 2026
The release says “over 67 million” and “one in four U.S. adults.”
2
The figure comes from a survey of 10,000 holders by The Harris Poll for the National Cryptocurrency Association
âś… Verified
Same release
Fieldwork ran from February to March 2026 among US crypto holders.
3
The NCA is “a nonprofit that promotes crypto adoption”
âś… Verified
Same release
The NCA describes itself as a 501(c)(4) “dedicated to helping Americans better understand and use crypto.” An earlier draft called it an “advocacy nonprofit,” which was changed after the fact-check.
4
About 12 million more holders than a year earlier
âś… Verified
Same release
67m in 2026, up from about 55m in 2025.
5
Pew found in January that 19% of US adults had used crypto in some form, up from 16% in 2021
âś… Verified
Pew Research Center, June 2026
8,512 adults were surveyed January 20 to 26, 2026. Pew’s question was “ever invested in, traded or used,” so “used in some form” is a fair paraphrase. The phrase “at a steadier pace” reflects Pew calling use “fairly stable.”
Crypto Has Become a Mainstream Investment
#
Claim
Verdict
Source
Notes
6
Federal regulators approved the first spot bitcoin ETFs in January 2024
âś… Verified
SEC Chair statement, January 10, 2024
Trading began January 11, 2024. This is well-established public record, though the agent didn’t re-fetch the SEC page.
7
Bitcoin and ether remain the most widely held coins
âś… Verified
Security.org 2026 Cryptocurrency Report
74% of owners hold BTC and 53% hold ETH. The NCA release doesn’t rank coins, so the article doesn’t attribute this to the NCA.
8
Apps let investors trade around the clock, including weekends
âś… Verified
Landing page (OANDA US crypto)
The page offers 24/7 trading outside maintenance hours. This is standard across the crypto market.
What Investors Now Look For in a Crypto Trading Platform
#
Claim
Verdict
Source
Notes
9
FTX collapsed in late 2022, and customer deposits had been diverted to an affiliated trading firm
âś… Verified
DOJ sentencing release, March 2024
The affiliate was Alameda Research. FTX halted withdrawals and filed for bankruptcy in November 2022.
10
In March, an FTX Recovery Trust distribution brought allowed US customer claims to 100% of their value at the bankruptcy filing
âś… Verified (corrected)
FTX Recovery Trust release, March 2026
The fourth distribution, on March 31, 2026, took Class 5B claims to 100% cumulative. Claims were valued at November 2022 prices. An earlier draft said “completed repayment,” which overstated it and was reworded.
11
The episode is “widely seen as the moment crypto began to take oversight seriously”
Editorial framing
—
This is a characterisation, not a factual claim. It’s consistent with how regulators, including the CFTC, have referenced FTX in calls for oversight.
12
Limit and stop orders and published pricing are features investors look for
âś… Verified
OANDA US crypto page
The landing page lists limit, stop and quick-buy orders and states its pricing before trades. OANDA isn’t named in the article.
13
Spot trading without leverage means positions are bought outright with available funds
âś… Verified
OANDA US crypto page
The page says “leverage is not available. You can only trade with the funds you have.”
New York’s Rules Have Become a Benchmark
#
Claim
Verdict
Source
Notes
14
Since 2015, DFS has generally required crypto firms serving NY residents to hold a BitLicense or a limited purpose trust charter
âś… Verified
NYDFS Virtual Currency Businesses
23 NYCRR Part 200 took effect June 24, 2015. “Generally” was added because some activities, such as personal investment and mining, are exempt.
15
Licensing means passing a review of capital and compliance controls
âś… Verified
Same page
It cites the capital rules (200.8), a surety bond of at least $500k, and anti-money-laundering and cybersecurity requirements.
16
In September 2025, DFS issued updated custody guidance
âś… Verified
NYDFS industry letter, September 30, 2025
It replaces guidance from January 2023.
17
Custodians must keep customer crypto separate on-chain and in internal ledgers, and explain in writing how holdings are kept
âś… Verified
Same letter, Sections I and IV
The letter requires segregation “both on-chain and on the VCE Custodian’s internal ledger accounts,” plus written disclosure and customer acknowledgment.
18
“A customer’s bitcoin should remain the customer’s property in all circumstances”
âś… Verified
Same letter, Section II
This paraphrases “equitable and beneficial interest always remaining with the customer,” including in insolvency.
19
California’s Digital Financial Assets Law borrows heavily from New York’s approach
âś… Verified
Dechert analysis (2023); SiliconANGLE (2022)
California’s AB 39, signed in 2023, is widely described as modelled on the BitLicense.
Washington Is Moving Toward Clearer Rules
#
Claim
Verdict
Source
Notes
20
The GENIUS Act, signed July 2025, created the first national framework for payment stablecoins
âś… Verified
congress.gov, S.1582
Signed July 18, 2025.
21
The CLARITY Act would divide oversight between the SEC and the CFTC
âś… Verified
congress.gov, H.R.3633
That division of oversight is the bill’s core purpose.
22
CLARITY passed the House in July 2025 with bipartisan support
âś… Verified
House vote of 294-134 on July 17, 2025
Democrats voted on both sides.
23
It stalled in the Senate after a procedural vote failed this September, and a pending motion to reconsider leaves room for another attempt
âś… Verified (corrected)
The Block (September 2026); crypto.news (November 2026)
The cloture vote failed 49-50 on September 15, 2026, and Sen. Tillis entered a motion to reconsider. An earlier draft said “debate continues,” which implied active floor debate and was reworded. The November midterm results are left out to keep the article neutral.
How Newcomers Can Trade With Confidence
#
Claim
Verdict
Source
Notes
24
The FBI recorded a sharp rise in crypto investment fraud complaints last year, many involving fake investment sites
âś… Verified (reworded)
IC3 2025 Internet Crime Report; IC3 PSA (2022)
Complaints rose 48% to 61,559. The IC3 describes these scams as using fake investment platforms. The sentence was tied to the actual statistic after the fact-check.
25
The FBI’s advice is to “take a beat”
âś… Verified
FBI “Take a Beat” campaign, launched August 2024
This is the FBI’s public anti-scam message.
26
Customer agreements should state that assets are held for the customer’s benefit
âś… Verified
NYDFS letter, Section IV
DFS expects agreements to set out a custodial, not debtor-creditor, relationship.
More Americans Are Trading Crypto, Putting Platform Safety in Sharper Focus added by rctadmin on November 12, 2026
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