Eurozone Businesses Rarely Accept Crypto Payments: ECB Study

The European Central Bank (ECB) has released a study on payment methods in the eurozone, revealing that only 0.2% of online companies accept cryptocurrencies or stablecoins as payment. The survey, conducted by Ipsos European Public Affairs from February 23 to April 10, 2026, included 8,205 businesses from all 21 eurozone countries. It found that payment cards are available at 82% of online sellers, and bank transfers at 74%. Cash is accepted by 92% of companies, while mobile payments surged from 36% to 68% in just two years.

The main criteria for choosing a payment method were customer preferences (26%), security (22%), and ease of processing (15%). Businesses rated cash higher than digital payments in terms of privacy and reliability. One in four companies reported actively promoting cashless payments over the past year, with some installing self-service terminals exclusively in cashless mode.

The study comes as Europe prepares for the launch of the digital euro, which is targeted to debut in 2029 contingent on EU legislative framework. The ECB has selected banks to test the digital euro, including Deutsche Bank, Revolut, Stripe, and others.