Monero Gains Traction Among Online Businesses Amid EU Regulation

More online businesses are accepting Monero in 2026 despite its removal from regulated exchanges like Kraken, Binance, and OKX for European customers. The EU's Anti-Money Laundering Regulation bans regulated intermediaries from handling privacy coins by July 10, 2027.

However, this regulation is actually driving more merchants to accept Monero as payment. One tracker counted 1,437 stores taking XMR in September 2026, a 39-store increase from the previous month. The coin's market value has reached over $10 billion and is trading at around $500.

Several factors contribute to this trend:

1. Monero payments cannot be charged back, eliminating a major concern for online merchants.

2. Fees associated with Monero transactions are minimal, typically ranging from 7 cents to a few dollars per transaction.

3. The EU's regulation is actually creating customers who can no longer easily sell their XMR on exchanges, leading them to spend the coins directly or use non-custodial swap services.

4. Setting up Monero acceptance has become easier with various tools and plugins available for merchants to integrate without needing a developer.

5. The Monero community relies on directories rather than search engines to find businesses accepting XMR, making it easy for customers to discover and support these merchants.