🔥 Visa and CoinShares: Crypto appetite is growing among consumers and wealthy investors
A new Visa study found that 46% of consumers across 14 Asia-Pacific markets are likely to use stablecoins within the next five years, compared with just 16% who used them in the past 12 months.
The most anticipated use cases include cross-border transfers, online shopping, travel and international payments.
Awareness remains a major hurdle: 66% of respondents have heard of stablecoins, but only 6% say they understand how they work. Among those aware of stablecoins but not using them, 38% cited concerns over scams and fraud.
Meanwhile, a CoinShares survey of 2,230 affluent investors across the U.S. and six European markets found that 54%–70% already own digital assets, depending on the market. Crypto allocations average around 10% of portfolios, putting digital assets on a similar footing with some traditional alternative investments.
More importantly, at least 85% of existing crypto investors in five of the seven markets said they plan to increase their exposure in 2026. The figure rises to 91% in the U.S., UK and Germany.
Bitcoin remains the dominant asset, held by 80% of digital-asset investors, while 89% of Bitcoin holders also own other digital assets.
The broader takeaway: crypto is increasingly moving from a speculative trading niche toward a mainstream portfolio allocation, while stablecoins are emerging as a potential global payments infrastructure.
A new Visa study found that 46% of consumers across 14 Asia-Pacific markets are likely to use stablecoins within the next five years, compared with just 16% who used them in the past 12 months.
The most anticipated use cases include cross-border transfers, online shopping, travel and international payments.
Awareness remains a major hurdle: 66% of respondents have heard of stablecoins, but only 6% say they understand how they work. Among those aware of stablecoins but not using them, 38% cited concerns over scams and fraud.
Meanwhile, a CoinShares survey of 2,230 affluent investors across the U.S. and six European markets found that 54%–70% already own digital assets, depending on the market. Crypto allocations average around 10% of portfolios, putting digital assets on a similar footing with some traditional alternative investments.
More importantly, at least 85% of existing crypto investors in five of the seven markets said they plan to increase their exposure in 2026. The figure rises to 91% in the U.S., UK and Germany.
Bitcoin remains the dominant asset, held by 80% of digital-asset investors, while 89% of Bitcoin holders also own other digital assets.
The broader takeaway: crypto is increasingly moving from a speculative trading niche toward a mainstream portfolio allocation, while stablecoins are emerging as a potential global payments infrastructure.