Canaccord Wealth UK has entered an exclusive partnership with Bitwise to offer selected clients exposure to Bitcoin and Ether exchange-traded products, adding another traditional wealth-management channel to crypto’s regulated-access market.
Bradley Duke, Bitwise’s managing director and head of Europe, said Canaccord Wealth UK will make Bitcoin and Ethereum ETP products available to certain clients, with allocations of up to 5% of a portfolio. Duke described the firm as a $70 billion AUM wealth manager and said the partnership covers the UK and Channel Islands markets.
The 5% cap is the most important detail. It turns the rollout into a controlled allocation framework rather than an open-ended crypto push. It also means the headline AUM figure should not be treated as a committed inflow. The structure gives advisers a way to place BTC and ETH exposure inside a portfolio limit, subject to client suitability, platform access and product availability.
Bitwise already has a UK-facing product shelf that includes Bitcoin and Ethereum ETPs. Its European lineup includes the Bitwise Core Bitcoin ETP, Bitwise Physical Bitcoin ETP, Bitwise Ethereum Staking ETP and Bitwise Physical Ethereum ETP, which Bitwise admitted to the London Stock Exchange retail segment after UK regulators reopened access to certain crypto exchange-traded notes.
UK Crypto Access Moves Through Regulated Wrappers
The partnership lands after the Financial Conduct Authority changed its approach to crypto-linked securities. The FCA lifted the retail-access ban for certain crypto ETNs on October 8, 2025, allowing consumers to access products listed on the FCA Official List and admitted to trading on a UK Recognised Investment Exchange.
That does not make the underlying assets low risk. Bitwise has warned that crypto-linked products can remain highly volatile, while the underlying cryptoassets are not regulated by the FCA and are not covered by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme or Financial Ombudsman Service. The wealth-manager route changes custody, execution and reporting mechanics, but it does not remove BTC and ETH price risk.
Canaccord’s move extends a broader shift in how large financial firms are handling digital assets. Morgan Stanley’s crypto rollout through E*TRADE showed how brokerage infrastructure can widen access without forcing users onto specialist exchanges. Intesa Sanpaolo’s Bitcoin-linked securities exposure also pointed to a preference for listed products, trust structures and options rather than direct wallet-based balance-sheet exposure.
For Bitwise, the Canaccord deal strengthens its European distribution at a time when access, not product creation alone, is becoming the competitive edge. The firm expanded into Europe through its ETC Group acquisition and has since pushed Bitcoin and Ethereum products across regulated exchange channels.
Further impact will be measured through client eligibility, actual allocations, product selection and adviser uptake across UK and Channel Islands accounts. The practical market question is whether a capped 5% framework becomes a repeatable model for other wealth managers that want Bitcoin and Ether exposure without moving clients outside traditional securities infrastructure.
