US merchants accelerate crypto adoption as customer demand reshapes payments

New survey data reveals how merchants crypto adoption is moving from niche experiment to mainstream commerce across the United States.

Customer demand pushes merchants toward cryto adoption

New research from the National Cryptocurrency Association (NCA) and PayPal shows that nearly 4 in 10 U.S. merchants are already integrating crypto at checkout. According to the study, 39% of businesses now accept cryptocurrency as a payment option, reflecting a clear response to evolving customer preferences.

Moreover, expectations for the next few years are even stronger. More than four in five merchants, or 84%, believe crypto payments will become a common feature of commerce within the next five years. This signals a structural shift in how businesses think about payments, demand, and digital customer journeys.

Customer interest is the primary catalyst behind this shift. Nearly nine in ten merchants, or 88%, report receiving inquiries from shoppers about paying with crypto. Furthermore, more than two-thirds, or 69%, say customers want to use digital assets at least once a month, giving merchants a clear signal that the demand is recurring, not occasional.

For many companies, crypto is not just an add-on. Four in five merchants, or 79%, agree that accepting crypto can help them attract new customers, positioning it as both a payment method and a growth driver. However, the study notes that for businesses already taking crypto at checkout, this demand has become highly tangible in day-to-day operations.

From experimentation to everyday crypto payments

Commenting on the findings, May Zabaneh, Vice President and General Manager of Crypto at PayPal, said the data confirms a turning point. She noted that crypto payments are now moving beyond early experimentation and entering the realm of everyday commerce, in line with how consumers already pay online.

According to Zabaneh, adoption is being fueled by customer demand for faster and more flexible payment options. Once businesses start offering digital asset payments, many see clear benefits. Moreover, when crypto is presented in ways that feel as familiar as card or standard online payments, it becomes a powerful growth tool, helping merchants reach new customers and access funds faster.

Which merchants are leading crypto payment adoption?

The survey reveals that digital asset acceptance is no longer confined to early adopters or niche brands. Adoption is strongest among large enterprises generating more than $500 million in annual revenue, where 50% already accept crypto. By contrast, 34% of small businesses and 32% of midsize companies currently accept crypto at checkout.

However, where merchants do support digital assets, the impact on sales is significant. Among businesses that accept crypto today, it accounts for more than a quarter of total revenue, with an average share of 26%. This underscores that crypto is evolving into a meaningful payment rail, not just a speculative investment tool.

The study also highlights growth momentum. Roughly three-quarters of merchants that accept crypto, or 72%, report that their crypto sales increased over the past year. That said, this growth suggests that once businesses implement digital asset payments, customers quickly begin to use them more often, reinforcing the business case for adoption.

For small businesses, the shift is playing out on the ground. Nikisha Bailey, co-founder of Win Win Coffee, said the company focuses on meeting customers where they are and making engagement with the brand as easy as possible. As payment options evolve, she argued, it is vital that independent businesses can explore new tools in a way that feels organic and aligned with existing operations.

Bailey added that flexibility and choice in how customers pay helps ensure that smaller, independent businesses grow alongside their communities, rather than falling behind them. This aligns with wider crypto payment adoption trends across sectors that have digitally savvy customers and high transaction volumes.

Key benefits merchants see in crypto adoption

Merchants cite several concrete advantages when they start accepting cryptocurrency payments. The leading reasons include faster transaction speed and access to new customers, which are both mentioned by 45% of respondents. These factors make digital asset payments particularly attractive for businesses operating online or across borders.

Moreover, merchants highlight improvements in security and privacy. 41% cite enhanced security features as a core benefit, while 40% point to greater privacy for customers. Together, these benefits show why companies accepting cryptocurrency payments increasingly view it as part of a broader digital strategy rather than a one-off experiment.

Generational trends also play a crucial role. Younger shoppers are driving much of the interest, with merchants reporting the strongest demand from Millennials and Gen Z. According to the study, 77% of merchants see the most inquiries from Millennials, while 73% report high interest from Gen Z or younger customers, underlining growing gen z crypto interest in everyday commerce.

Small businesses, in particular, see intense curiosity from younger demographics. They report especially high inquiry rates from Gen Z shoppers, at 82%, compared with 67% for midsize companies and 65% for large enterprises. However, this pattern suggests that smaller merchants may feel the pressure to innovate more quickly to keep younger customers engaged.

Industries at the forefront of crypto adoption

The research identifies several sectors where digital asset payments are already becoming commonplace. Leading the way are hospitality and travel, where a striking 81% of merchants report using or exploring crypto acceptance. This aligns with the industry’s focus on global customers, cross-border transactions, and fast settlement.

In addition, digital goods, gaming, luxury, and specialty retail show high adoption levels, with 76% reporting strong engagement with crypto payments. These sectors often serve digital-native users and early adopters, making them natural testing grounds for new payment technologies and hospitality crypto adoption rates.

The retail and e-commerce segment also stands out, with 69% of merchants in this category reporting meaningful activity around crypto payments. Moreover, the combination of speed, global reach, and highly online customer bases is helping push crypto deeper into checkout flows, including cryptocurrency checkout integration in mainstream online stores.

The final hurdle for merchant crypto adoption

Despite the strong interest and clear demand, the study shows that simplicity remains the biggest barrier. Interestingly, more than four in five merchants, or 84%, again say they expect crypto payments to become common within the next five years. However, many are still waiting for the experience to match the ease of card payments.

A vast majority, or 90%, say they would be willing to try accepting crypto if the experience felt as simple as processing traditional card transactions. Similarly, 90% of merchants say they would likely accept digital assets if setting up payments were as straightforward as onboarding for credit card acceptance.

Stu Alderoty, President of the National Cryptocurrency Association, said the data shows that lack of interest is not what is holding crypto back. Instead, understanding and usability are the real challenges. Too many people, he argued, still do not see how digital assets fit into their everyday lives and the routine payments they make.

That is why, according to Alderoty, partnerships with trusted platforms like PayPal are crucial. The NCA and PayPal are working together to close the knowledge gap by showing how crypto can be simple, accessible, and easy for both businesses and consumers to use. This includes clearer education and more user-friendly payment experiences.

About the National Cryptocurrency Association and PayPal

The National Cryptocurrency Association (NCA) is a 501(C)(4) organization focused on educating consumers about how to engage with digital assets safely and confidently. The group highlights real stories of Americans and businesses using crypto, alongside educational resources designed to cut through hype and misinformation.

Moreover, the NCA offers guidance and support through partnerships and services that help people navigate the complexity of modern digital finance. For more information, visit https://www.nca.org, where the organization publishes additional resources and updates on its advocacy work.

PayPal has been transforming global commerce for more than 25 years, building innovative experiences that make moving money, selling, and shopping simple, personalized, and secure. The company supports consumers and businesses in approximately 200 markets, enabling them to participate in and benefit from the global digital economy.

For further details on PayPal, visit https://www.paypal.com, https://about.pypl.com/ and https://investor.pypl.com/, where the company provides corporate, product, and investor information.

Survey methodology and scope

The survey was conducted online in the United States by The Harris Poll on behalf of the National Cryptocurrency Association. Fieldwork took place from October 21-27, 2025, targeting 619 payment strategy decision makers across key industries including retail and e-commerce, hospitality and travel, luxury and specialty retail, and digital goods and gaming.

Respondents were full-time employees working in, or responsible for, C-suite, e-commerce and digital, finance, or marketing functions within their respective companies. The sampling precision of Harris online polls is evaluated using a Bayesian credible interval, a statistical approach that estimates the reliability of sample results.

For this study, the sample data is accurate to within +/- 3.9 percentage points using a 95% confidence level. This gives analysts a robust basis to interpret the findings on crypto payments small businesses and large enterprises alike, across multiple verticals and customer segments.

In summary, the research shows that crypto payment adoption is gaining real momentum in U.S. commerce, driven by clear customer demand and reinforced by measurable sales impact. However, broader scale depends on making digital asset payments as intuitive and seamless as legacy card systems, an area where education and user experience design will be decisive.