• TIGER 21 has allocated up to $6 billion in digital assets, reflecting growing institutional interest in crypto amid evolving U.S. regulations.
  • Founder Michael Sonnenfeldt sees Bitcoin as a modern store of value, comparing it to gold as a hedge against economic instability in certain regions.

TIGER 21, a global network of high-net-worth investors, entrepreneurs, and executives, has allocated approximately $6 billion to digital assets within its $200 billion portfolio, according to its founder and chairman, Michael Sonnenfeldt.

“We have about 1% to 3% of $200 billion in assets, so about $6 billion in assets in digital currencies,” Sonnenfeldt said in a Feb. 5 interview with CNBC.

The investment reflects a broader trend of increasing institutional interest in cryptocurrencies as regulatory clarity improves in the United States. Sonnenfeldt highlighted Bitcoin’s evolving role as a store of value, particularly in economically unstable regions such as Argentina and Lebanon.

“Gold is for traditionalists, Bitcoin is a bit new age, but they often play the same role. They are perceived as storehouses of value that are not subject to government fiat,” he said.
“When you have a truly global market like that, people feel like there’s some real refuge there to be found.”

TIGER 21 operates on an invitation-only model, requiring members to have at least $20 million in investable assets. Since its founding in 1999, the network has expanded to 53 cities worldwide, with its membership base now exceeding 1,600.

While Sonnenfeldt did not specify which cryptocurrencies make up the firm’s holdings, he noted that nearly 80% of TIGER 21’s total portfolio is invested in “long-only risk-on assets,” including public and private real estate and private equity. The group’s cash holdings have also dropped below 10% for the first time in 17 years.

The announcement comes as the total cryptocurrency market cap stands at approximately $3.3 trillion, following a partial recovery from a market downturn on Feb. 2 and 3, which saw $400 billion wiped out within 24 hours. Bitcoin’s market dominance has since declined to 61.42% after reaching a four-year high of nearly 63% on Feb. 3, according to TradingView data.

Edited by Harshajit Sarmah