#FamilyOfficeCrypto #DigitalAssets #PortfolioManagement #RiskControls #Institutional
Family offices don’t need 100x. They need durable, auditable exposure that compounds without existential risk. Here’s a practical, institutional framework to add crypto to a multi‑asset portfolio and sleep well at night.
Define the mandate first
Objective: Long‑term real return and diversification, not day‑trading.
Liquidity: Monthly or better. Avoid lockups that break portfolio flexibility.
Drawdown tolerance: Pre‑agree max crypto sleeve DD (e.g., 25–35%) and actions when breached.
Portfolio structure that actually works
Core 70–85%: BTC + ETH (market‑cap weighted or 60/40 tilt). Rationale: Liquidity, institutional access, clearer narratives (digital gold + compute layer).
Satellites 15–30%: Rules‑based themes with hard caps per sleeve:
Infrastructure/L2s (transaction growth)
DeFi with real fees and audited revenue
Data/AI/RWA where cash flows or usage are measurable
Rebalance quarterly or on 10% sleeve drift—whichever comes first.
Vehicle selection and custody
Public vehicles: Spot ETFs/ETNs for clean reporting and simpler ops.
Direct spot: Use qualified custodians, segregated accounts, and dual‑control policies. No single‑operator keys.
Fund/SMAs: Demand transparency on venue risk, counterparty limits, and audit trail.
Risk controls that survive bad regimes
Position limits: Any single asset ≤40% of crypto sleeve, any theme ≤50%.
Venue risk: Whitelist exchanges/custodians; cap exposure per venue; enforce withdrawal tests.
Stablecoin policy: Concentration limits across issuers; verify attestations; hold short‑duration T‑bill alternatives for dry powder.
Hedging: Pre‑authorize drawdown hedges (e.g., -2 to -3 sigma events) via listed options or futures; time‑boxed and rules‑triggered.
Entry, exit, and re‑entry rules
Entries: Scale in on weekly trend confirmation (higher‑low + reclaim of prior weekly high) or time‑based dollar‑cost averaging.
Exits: Reduce risk when weekly trend fails (two lower‑highs and a close below 20‑week baseline) or when sleeve hits max DD.
Re‑entries: Same as entries—no “gut feel.” Documented signals only.
On‑chain and market dashboards to watch weekly
Macro tape: BTC/ETH trend, breadth (leaders plus mid‑caps reclaiming weekly highs), and volatility regime.
Usage: L2 transactions, DEX volumes, protocol fees, active addresses.
Leverage: Funding near neutral is healthier; persistent positive funding without progress = crowding risk.
Governance and reporting
Investment Policy Statement (IPS): Asset universe, sizing, rebalancing, risk limits, hedging, and liquidity rules.
Ops runbook: Signer matrix, withdrawal approvals, incident response, and quarterly compliance checks.
Attribution: Separate beta (BTC/ETH), thematic alpha, and idiosyncratic winners/losers. If alpha is negative for two quarters, cut the sleeve.
What to avoid
Illiquid long tails without verifiable usage.
Perpetual leverage as a “yield strategy.”
Over‑the‑counter deals without escrow, vesting clarity, or legal recourse.
Narrative chasing without a repeatable process.
Sample allocation (illustrative, not advice)
50% BTC
30% ETH
10% L2/infrastructure basket
5% DeFi fee earners
5% Opportunistic (AI/RWA) with strict stop‑loss and time stop
One‑page SOP for the CIO
Monthly: Review trend/risk dashboard; rebalance drift >10%.
Quarterly: Committee review; rotate satellites based on usage/revenue; audit custody and venue exposure.
Event‑driven: If sleeve DD hits limit or venue risk escalates, cut to core immediately; redeploy only after signals reset.