Accredited investors are poised to deploy capital, with more than three-quarters planning to invest within the next six months and a notable openness to digital asset securities, according to a new report from VerifyInvestor.com, powered by tZERO Group, Inc. The Accredited Investor Outlook 2026, released Tuesday, draws on survey responses from over 200 verified accredited investors collected in April 2026.
The survey found that 77% of respondents plan to make an investment within six months, with nearly half expecting to do so within three months. Real estate (66%) and private equity/venture capital (61%) led investment category interest, while digital asset securities attracted interest from 27% of respondents, surpassing several traditional alternative categories such as infrastructure, hedge funds, and energy-focused investments.
While expected returns topped evaluation criteria at 70%, the survey revealed a more nuanced decision-making framework. Management quality (50.5%), downside protection and risk mitigation (49%), and sponsor track record (48.5%) ranked nearly as high, indicating investors are conducting increasingly sophisticated due diligence. Liquidity potential ranked among the lowest evaluation criteria at 18%, suggesting a willingness to commit to longer-duration opportunities when fundamentals are compelling.
Tokenized securities appear at an inflection point. Only 11% of respondents described themselves as very familiar with tokenized securities, yet 27% expressed interest—a gap highlighting education as the primary barrier to broader adoption. The report identifies investor awareness progressing through three stages: curiosity, education, and adoption.
"tZERO has pioneered the regulated end-to-end infrastructure, issuance, trading, custody, and settlement, that makes digital asset securities accessible to investors in a compliant, institutional-grade way," said Alan Konevsky, Chairman and CEO of tZERO. "Reports like this one reflect what we're seeing on the ground: accredited investors are actively looking to deploy readily available capital, and interest in digital asset securities is growing."
To support this transition, VerifyInvestor.com is hosting a live webinar on June 23, 2026, at 1:00 p.m. EST, titled "The New SEC Direction on Digital Assets: What Accredited Investors Need to Know." Registration is available at https://lnkd.in/g8DeCXzg.
"VerifyInvestor.com is one of the most established accredited investor verification platforms. Our latest report highlights that as private markets continue to evolve, having a verified, trusted investor base is foundational," said Jenny Shields, VP of Operations at VerifyInvestor.com.
The findings underscore the active and self-directed nature of today's accredited investor, with a meaningful and growing openness to digital asset securities, an asset class in which tZERO has built regulated, blockchain-based financial infrastructure over more than a decade. The full report is available for download here.
