BRIEF:
- Cartwright Pension Trusts reports rising client interest after facilitating a 3% Bitcoin allocation for a UK pension fund in early 2024, reportedly yielding a 60% return subsequently.
- The firm has launched an editorial initiative (“Annual Bitcoin Review”) to inform institutional investors.
- According to staff comments, while initial industry skepticism citing Bitcoin volatility was noted, the “surprisingly positive” overall industry reaction is continuing.
Cartwright Pension Trusts Sees Rising Bitcoin Interest Following Successful Allocation
A pensions firm advising UK clients on growing assets integrates Bitcoin into the institutional investment discussion following a landmark transaction. Cartwright Pension Trusts revealed that enabling one of its UK-based client pension funds to effectively put Bitcoin on their balance sheet earlier this year has increased broader interest among its own client base.
“The firm has simply seen growing interest,” Digital Trends reports—a reference to the underlying subject matter outlet Decrypt. Senior investment consultant Arash Nasri explained Cartwright’s first “Annual Bitcoin Review,” an editorial introduction designed to help larger institutions understand the cryptocurrency.
According to Nasri, Cartwright successfully helped an unnamed UK pension client allocate 3% of its assets to Bitcoin in November 2024. The outcome of this move, If we trust the firm’s communication, would seem spectacular: the position delivered approximately 60% appreciation within just over one year.
Nasri made clear Cartwright is itself without financial exposure to Bitcoin, since it has no “skin in the game.” He emphasized the firm’s independence: “We are independent advisers who have built a deep understanding… our fiduciary duty to investors to raise awareness.” As asset owners face revolutionary technologies challenging traditional financial systems, their investment consultant views Bitcoin adoption as an increasingly critical topic.
Not all voices in the industry, though, have embraced digital currency knowledge. Nasri detailed pushback from “some skeptics within the British pensions industry,” most frequently objecting to Bitcoin‘s price volatility. He taken positions that this mindset reflects a deficit in institutional awareness: “a lack of willingness… to learn about an emerging form of money.” The consultant perceives this educational gap as hindering sound capital allocation decisions.
The influence of Bitcoin discussion extends beyond pension funds. Cartwright’s Nasri also observed growing mainstream interest across corporate treasuries and charitable donation mechanisms, noting its utility for 24/7 cross-border transactions alongside its function as a long-term reserve asset.
Meanwhile, toward cautious adoption—Nasri stated the strategy: “Bitcoin in a portfolio is not appropriate where the investment time horizon is short… But that still leaves hundreds of defined benefit schemes…” Even so, he stresses that proper understanding is the prerequisite for participation.
