Only 0.2% of euro area online sellers accept crypto or stablecoins, an ECB survey of 8,205 firms shows. Cash and cards dominate while mobile payments surged to 68% from 36% since 2024.
The European Central Bank found that just 0.2% of euro area businesses selling goods and services online accept crypto-assets or stablecoins as payment, according to a survey of 8,205 companies across 21 countries.
At physical points of sale, acceptance remains below 1%, showing virtually no improvement from the ECB's 2024 survey. Data collection ran from February to April 2026 via telephone interviews conducted by Ipsos.
Cash dominates. 92% of companies with physical locations accept it, up from 90% two years earlier, reversing some of the pandemic-era decline. Card payments follow at 88%. Mobile payments – including instant transfers and digital wallets like Apple Pay and Google Pay – surged from 36% in 2024 to 68% in 2026.
Companies ranked customer preference as the most important factor in deciding which payment methods to accept, cited by 26% of respondents. Security came second at 22%, followed by ease of handling at 15%. Those priorities explain the limited crypto uptake: without consumer demand, businesses have little reason to build infrastructure.
The findings come after the EU introduced the Markets in Crypto-Assets regulation, which provides clearer legal rules for digital assets. Payment service providers have been slow to roll out widespread acceptance solutions, the ECB said.
Cash retains strong support because of its perceived advantages in privacy, reliability and cost. Cryptocurrencies still face barriers tied to volatility perceptions, technical complexity and limited everyday utility, the survey found.
25% of companies have taken steps to encourage digital payments, such as installing cashless tills or reducing cash-accepting counters. Self-checkout terminals are present in 13% of businesses with physical locations, though only about half of those terminals accept cash.
The data suggest crypto adoption for practical payments remains negligible in the euro area, even as individual ownership of digital assets has grown. Mobile payments are the clear winner of the 2024-2026 period, rising faster than any other method.
The ECB interviewed companies in retail trade, restaurants and cafes, hotels, and arts, entertainment and recreation sectors.
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