The ECB has recorded stagnation in crypto payments in European online retail: only 0.2% of companies accept digital assets.
My latest data from the European Central Bank (ECB) report paints a rather telling picture for the digital currency market. Only 0.2% of internet companies operating in the eurozone are willing to accept cryptocurrencies or stablecoins as payment. This is not just statistics—it is a marker of the real level of trust and demand for digital assets in traditional commerce.
The study, conducted by Ipsos European Public Affairs from February 23 to April 10, 2026, covered 8,205 enterprises from all 21 eurozone countries. The sample included retail trade, the restaurant business, the hotel sector, and the entertainment industry. Notably, the questionnaire was limited to just three assets—Bitcoin, Ethereum, and USDT—highlighting their status as benchmark representatives of the market.
Against this backdrop, traditional payment instruments demonstrate dominance: cards are available to 82% of online sellers, and bank transfers to 74%. Cash is accepted by 92% of companies (up from 90% in 2024), and cards by 88%. However, the most impressive jump occurred in the mobile payments segment: their share soared from 36% to 68% in just two years, reflecting the rapid migration of consumers toward instant transfers and digital wallets.
The key criteria for businesses' choice of instruments were distributed as follows: customer preferences (26%), security (22%), and ease of processing (15%). Notably, when comparing cash and digital methods, no single parameter was found where electronic methods would appear unequivocally superior. In terms of privacy and reliability, businesses rated cash higher—this is a serious signal for proponents of full digitalization.
One in four companies actively promoted cashless payments during the year, and 13% installed self-service terminals, half of which operate exclusively in cashless mode. Nevertheless, 92% of enterprises accepting cash intend to maintain this practice over the next five years. Exceptions are Cyprus (51% of SMEs are considering abandoning cash), Greece (23%), and Bulgaria (18%).
This study appears at a critical moment when the ECB is preparing to launch the digital euro, targeting 2029. In June, the European Parliament's relevant committee supported the CBDC bill, providing for online and offline payments, free basic services, and mandatory acceptance of the new form of money. In July, the ECB already selected banks for testing, including Deutsche Bank, Revolut, Stripe, and UniCredit.
My analysis: The stagnation of crypto payments in the eurozone is not a failure of the technology, but rather an indicator of the absence of a clear regulatory incentive and consumer demand. Until the digital euro becomes a reality, private crypto assets will remain a niche tool. For investors, this means that mass adoption of BTC and ETH in retail is a matter not of the coming years, but rather of the next decade, even under favorable legislative conditions.