Growing Crypto Adoption Seen Among Consumers and Affluent Investors

New research from Visa and CoinShares highlights the growing interest in cryptocurrencies among consumers and affluent investors. Visa's survey of 14,250 respondents across 14 Asia Pacific markets revealed that 46% are likely to use stablecoins within the next five years, up from just 16% who had used them in the past year. The study, conducted in June and July, identified potential use cases for stablecoins in international transfers, online purchases, travel, and overseas shopping. However, despite 66% of consumers being aware of stablecoins, only 6% demonstrated a clear understanding of how they function. Concerns about fraud or scams were cited by 38% of those who knew about stablecoins but had never used them.

Trust in stablecoins was found to be influenced by the entities managing them, with government or central bank-linked providers being the most trusted at 27%, followed by banks and regulated financial institutions at 26%. Visa's head of digital currencies for Asia Pacific, Nischint Sanghavi, emphasized that consumers want stablecoins to integrate seamlessly with their existing payment methods.

Meanwhile, CoinShares' survey of 2,230 investors across seven markets found that a majority of affluent investors already hold digital assets. The report, titled CoinShares Affluent Investor Crypto Report, showed allocations typically around 10% of portfolios, with Bitcoin held by 80% of digital-asset investors on average. Among current investors, at least 85% in five of the seven markets plan to increase their exposure by 2026, rising to 91% in the U.S., UK, and Germany. Strategic motives such as long-term appreciation and diversification were prioritized over short-term speculation, with only 6% identifying primarily as short-term traders.