Mainstream crypto raises investor risk

US investors may soon have access to a greater array of products tied to asset classes like private credit and crypto.

This is as the Trump administration and the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) push to open markets, a change that some investment advisers say puts too much onus on individuals to protect themselves.

Both the White House and the SEC, under chair Paul Atkins, have embraced offering investors more choice in order to tap into some asset classes that can offer high returns.

Still, some financial advisers caution ‌their clients, who typically invest in stocks and bonds, may not be able to fully comprehend the influx of new offerings already underway that market analysts expect to increase this year.

“Something negative will happen, and people will say, wait, I didn’t realise the risk I was taking,” says Mark Stancato, a founder of VIP Wealth Advisors in ​Decatur, Georgia, a registered investment adviser.

He is concerned that investors may struggle to make informed decisions, particularly when evaluating their retirement assets.

The SEC and the White House said they remain focused on investor protection.

“Chairman Atkins is committed to ensuring the SEC maintains fair, orderly, and efficient markets while protecting everyday investors,” says Taylor Rogers, a White House spokeswoman, adding that the United States remained the “best and most secure place” to invest.

An SEC spokesperson says the agency is focused on ensuring investors have access to “robust information to make informed decisions” on all new products.

Atkins said in a September address that opening up access to private assets brings with it the need for appropriate guardrails.

A spokesman for the US Department of Labor says it will design rules and guidance on best ‍practices in offering private assets and other alternatives to retirement investors.

More risk for ‘the little guy’ or more reward?

The Trump administration announced plans in August to give individual investors easier access to assets like private credit and private equity, asking the secretary of labor, whose office regulates retirement plans, to consult with other agencies including the SEC within six months.

Atkins in November said that typical retirement vehicles such as target date funds forgo exposure to these assets, which disadvantages investors.

Currently, 401(k) and other retirement plans offer exposure to publicly-traded assets such as stocks and bonds via mutual funds or exchange-traded funds (ETFs).

Opening up investing in ‍private equity or private credit can bring diversification benefits but ‍also raises questions over how to value those holdings, their liquidity, and the quality of choice to which individual investors will have exposure.

The SEC is also helping increase investor access to cryptocurrencies by ‌fast-tracking the launch of new ETFs via its September release of generic listing standards, removing a hurdle to the launch of spot ETFs tied to cryptocurrencies.

Robert Persichitte, a financial planner with Delagify Financial in Arvada, Colorado, says new offerings could raise the risks for retail investors, who he says have the most at stake and the least expertise in assessing the risks of new or complex products.

“The little guy doesn’t have a team of advisers on their side,” says Persichitte.

Since the generic listings standards were introduced in September, there has been a rise in new crypto ETFs, according to data from Morningstar, while Bitwise Asset Management recently projected that another hundred may debut this year.

Interval funds, a form of closed-end fund that invests in private assets, have also increased as they are seen benefitting from opening up retirement plans.

“I expect an influx of funds that hold private assets this year,” says Bryan Armour, an analyst at Morningstar.

While ETFs, interval funds, or target date mutual funds do not represent excessive risk in themselves, the risk is determined by the nature of the underlying asset.

Indeed, some in the market say that opening up choices will benefit investors.

Duncan Moir, president of 21Shares, which has launched six crypto ETFs in recent months, says crypto has “a meaningful role to play in investor portfolios.”

Bruno Sousa, a founding partner at crypto asset management firm Hashdex, says capital markets work by giving people “the information they need to make free, well-informed decisions.” — Reuters