The paradox of bear markets is that they create the exact conditions major players wait for to position themselves. While overall sentiment remains depressed and retail investors sell out of fear, institutions are doing the opposite. A joint report by Coinbase<\/a> and EY-Parthenon published in early 2026, surveying 351 decision-makers each managing over $1 billion in assets, confirms what on-chain data already suggested: 73% of major institutions plan to increase their digital asset allocations this year.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n This figure is worth pausing over. We are not talking about opportunistic hedge funds or adventurous family offices here. We are talking about traditional asset managers, pension funds, and corporate treasuries\u2014slow moving entities with lengthy validation processes that do not enter a market without deep conviction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n