Crypto Payments Go Mainstream as Over 23,000 Merchants Accept Bitcoin

Crypto payments have moved beyond niche use cases and are now becoming mainstream. Public merchant directories track tens of thousands of businesses that accept digital assets globally, with Bitcoin remaining the dominant payment cryptocurrency.

A recent survey by PayPal and the National Crypto Association found that 39% of U.S. merchants already accept cryptocurrency at checkout, with adoption highest among large enterprises (50%) and lowest among small businesses (32%).

The primary driver of merchant adoption is customer demand, with 88% of merchants receiving inquiries about paying with crypto and 69% reporting that customers want to use it at least once a month.

Hospitality and retail lead the transition, with 81% and 76% of businesses in these sectors accepting crypto payments respectively. The U.S., U.K., and Germany have the highest numbers of listed merchants, but countries like Switzerland and Slovenia exhibit a high density of physical locations per business.