stable coins
By Julie Binoche
1 / 15
Mobile Payments Explode While Crypto Flatlines. Here's the contrast that's hard to ignore. Mobile payment acceptance at physical locations jumped…
2 / 15
Regional Gaps and a Regulatory Void. The regional picture is wild. In Cyprus, 51% of small and medium-sized enterprises that currently…
3 / 15
Digital Euro Looms, But Crypto Isn't the Beneficiary. The ECB is actively working on a digital euro — a central bank digital currency meant to…
4 / 15
Crypto payments are going nowhere fast in Europe. The European Central Bank put out a report showing crypto accounts for just 0.
5 / 15
The ECB commissioned Ipsos to run the survey between February 23 and April 10, pulling responses from 8,205 businesses across 21 euro area countries.
6 / 15
Here's the contrast that's hard to ignore. Mobile payment acceptance at physical locations jumped from 36% in 2024 to 68% — a near-doubling in roughly two years.
7 / 15
Not really a mystery why. When the ECB asked businesses what drives their payment method choices, 26% pointed to consumer preference. Security came in at 22%.
8 / 15
Bank checks are dying too, for what it's worth. Acceptance dropped from 36% in 2024 down to 27%.
9 / 15
The regional picture is wild. In Cyprus, 51% of small and medium-sized enterprises that currently take cash say they might stop accepting it entirely.
10 / 15
On the crypto side, the ECB's survey included questions about crypto acceptance but didn't nail down whether payments settled in traditional currency — after automatic conversion…
11 / 15
See also: White House Hosts Crypto Leaders Ahead of Key CFTC Meeting
12 / 15
And when it comes to regulation, the ECB was direct: it doesn't regulate payment methods. Questions about whether euro area merchants are legally required to accept or refuse…
13 / 15
The ECB is actively working on a digital euro — a central bank digital currency meant to complement cash rather than replace it.
14 / 15
The gap between the digital euro concept and actual crypto assets like Bitcoin or Ether is pretty fundamental. One is state-backed, stable, and designed for everyday transactions.
15 / 15
Businesses that reject cash cited low customer demand at 36% and difficulties depositing or withdrawing cash at 35%. Those are operational complaints.
The Currency Analytics
Want the full story?