Crypto has long been seen as a young investor’s game. New data from one retirement platform suggests the picture is more complicated. BitcoinIRA, which lets Americans hold crypto inside indiv
Crypto has long been seen as a young investor’s game.
New data from one retirement platform suggests the picture is more complicated.
BitcoinIRA, which lets Americans hold crypto inside individual retirement accounts, has published data from its customer and trade records covering 2013 to 2026.
The figures show investors over 60 not only own most of the accounts on the platform but also trade the most.
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Investors aged 60 and older make up 41.4% of BitcoinIRA’s funded accounts, according to the company. Add in those aged 50 to 59, and investors over 50 hold 66.8% of accounts and 79% of deposits.
At the other end, investors under 30 hold just 2.6% of accounts and 0.3% of deposits.
That stands out against the wider market. People aged 60 and older make up only about 17% of U.S. crypto owners, according to Security.org.
There is a structural reason behind part of the gap.
Retirement accounts tend to be funded with retirement savings, so older investors usually have more money to put in, and more reason to manage it carefully.
The bigger surprise is how those accounts are used.
Customers aged 60 and older average 43 trades each, BitcoinIRA’s data shows. Investors under 30 average just 16.
The older group also trades more than its size would suggest. Investors over 60 hold 41.4% of accounts but make 46.9% of all trades on the platform. Those under 30 hold 2.6% of accounts and make only 1.2% of trades.
BitcoinIRA measures this with a “trade-intensity index,” which compares each age group’s share of trades with its share of customers.
A score of 1.0 means a group trades exactly as much as its size would predict.
Investors over 60 score 1.13, the only group above that line. Scores fall steadily with age: 0.96 for those aged 50 to 59, 0.92 for 40 to 49, 0.69 for 30 to 39 and 0.46 for those under 30.
Retirement savers are often expected to buy, hold and wait. BitcoinIRA’s numbers suggest its oldest customers are doing the opposite, actively adjusting their positions.
The data comes from a single platform built for retirement savings, so it naturally skews older and doesn’t reflect the whole crypto market.
Still, it points to a shift that would have seemed unlikely a decade ago.
Interest in Bitcoin has spread well beyond younger investors, and some older investors are among its most engaged traders.
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Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute financial advice. Cryptocurrency investments are highly volatile and risky. Always conduct your own research before making any investment decisions.
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