Entering 2025, many retail investors are shouting that it's difficult. Altcoins are being cut in half, those bottoming out BTC are stuck at 120,000, and air coins are going to zero directly. I am often asked: with big institutional funds entering the market, do retail investors still have a chance?

To be honest, opportunities definitely exist. But the problem isn't a lack of opportunities; it's that the gameplay needs to change. Retail investors still relying on speculation, chasing rallies, and panic selling will be eliminated sooner or later. To survive in 2026, retail investors must learn to use "institutional thinking" to reposition themselves.

**What is the underlying logic of institutional players?**

They never bet on price rises or falls. When BlackRock allocates to Bitcoin ETFs, they see it as an anti-inflation tool, with only about 5%-10% of their entire investment portfolio, and they completely ignore short-term fluctuations, holding long-term instead. MicroStrategy accumulating大量 coins? The core purpose is to optimize the balance sheet and hedge against fiat currency devaluation.

See the difference? The three keywords for institutions are: **Long-term, Diversified, Compliant**. This is the lesson retail investors need to learn.

**Step 1: Reconfigure your assets**

Stop putting all your chips into one project. The recommended allocation framework is as follows:

Core allocation accounts for 60%-70%, mainly in mainstream assets like Bitcoin and Ethereum, purchased through ETFs or compliant platforms, which is convenient and safe. The remaining 30%-40% can be allocated to some high-quality niche sectors—privacy coins, AI + blockchain, RWA, etc. But the key is to control the position size of individual projects and avoid heavy concentration.

**Step 2: Shift from speculator to long-term holder**

Short-term trading has a low success rate and high costs. Instead of frequent operations, it’s better to select quality assets, hold patiently, and let time and compound interest do the work.

This is the most practical institutional approach that retail investors can learn.