A new survey by PayPal and the National Cryptocurrency Association suggests that cryptocurrency payments are moving beyond experimentation and into everyday commerce for U.S. merchants.
According to the survey, nearly 40% of large U.S. companies now accept crypto payments, reflecting a steady rise in adoption driven largely by customer demand. The study gathered responses from more than 600 senior payment and strategy decision-makers across multiple industries.
Crypto demand is coming from customers
Almost nine out of ten merchants surveyed said customers have already asked whether they can pay using cryptocurrency. This growing interest appears to be pushing businesses to integrate crypto at checkout.
May Zabaneh, PayPal’s vice president and general manager, said crypto payments are no longer a novelty. Instead, merchants that adopt them are seeing real benefits as shoppers look for faster and more flexible ways to pay.
Crypto already makes up a meaningful share of sales
For businesses that have already enabled crypto payments, the numbers are notable. On average, crypto transactions account for about 26% of total sales where the option is available, according to the survey.
Adoption is strongest among large enterprises (37%), followed by midsized businesses (32%) and small businesses (34%). Major U.S. brands such as Starbucks, Walmart, and Home Depot were cited as examples of companies already accepting crypto.
Industries leading the charge include hospitality, travel, digital goods, and gaming, where younger, tech-savvy customers are more likely to pay with crypto.
Mainstream adoption depends on simplicity
Looking ahead, 84% of merchants believe crypto payments will become mainstream within the next five years. However, there’s still a major hurdle: usability.
About 90% of respondents said they would only adopt crypto at scale if it were as easy to use as credit cards. That highlights a gap between interest and infrastructure, suggesting that smoother checkout experiences will be critical for wider adoption.
Stu Alderoty, president of the NCA and chief legal officer at Ripple, summed it up by saying that curiosity isn’t the issue — clarity and simplicity are.
PayPal has already taken steps in that direction, launching a crypto checkout tool that allows U.S. merchants to accept payments in more than 100 cryptocurrencies.
