19 May 2026 07:25 UTC
New data from the Federal Reserve sheds light on how cryptocurrency fits into American financial life in 2025. The central bank’s annual report on the economic well-being of households shows about one-tenth of U.S. adults either used or invested in crypto last year, marking the h...
➤ A leadership transition at the Federal Reserve may signal a more crypto-tolerant stance, potentially influencing future policy and adoption.
➤ While investment remains the primary use case, payment and remittance usage is growing, driven by merchant acceptance and industry efforts.
➤ US crypto usage reached 10% in 2025, the highest in three years, with notable adoption among the unbanked.
New data from the Federal Reserve sheds light on how cryptocurrency fits into American financial life in 2025. The central bank’s annual report on the economic well-being of households shows about one-tenth of U.S. adults either used or invested in crypto last year, marking the highest level in three years but remaining shy of earlier peaks.
According to the Fed’s 2025 household report, roughly 10% of adults engaged with crypto for any reason in 2025, up from the prior two years but below the 12% observed in 2021. The breakdown indicates around 9% used crypto as an investment, about 2% used it for payments, and roughly 1% sent money to family or friends using crypto. The report underscores that adoption is uneven across the population, with notable gaps between banked and unbanked consumers.
The Fed’s analysis also highlights a stronger crypto footprint among the unbanked. About 6% of unbanked adults used crypto in some capacity in 2025, compared with about 2% of banked adults. With more than a quarter of crypto users who paid with digital assets saying the business they transacted with preferred crypto payments, the report hints at a path for merchants to broaden crypto acceptance beyond speculative trading into everyday transactions.
Crypto’s role in payments is reinforced by industry efforts to integrate digital assets into routine commerce. Block, the payments and infrastructure company associated with Jack Dorsey, has supported Bitcoin and stablecoin payments for more than 800,000 U.S.-based merchants. Meanwhile, Lightspark, a Bitcoin Lightning Network startup founded by former PayPal president David Marcus, is actively pursuing broader adoption of Bitcoin payments as a mainstream option for consumers and merchants alike.
In its 2025 findings, the Fed notes that roughly 9% of respondents use crypto as an investment device, about 2% use it for payments, and 1% use it to send money to relatives or friends. The split reflects a spectrum of use cases, from investment-oriented activity to the growing use of crypto as a payment method in everyday life.
The report also highlights a potential route to broader crypto usage among the unbanked. While just 6% of all respondents used crypto for payments, the rate among the unbanked was higher, signaling crypto’s potential to serve as a financial access point for populations outside the traditional banking system. About 6% of Americans were unbanked in 2025, underscoring the size of this segment and the implications for payment rails and financial inclusion.
For those who did use crypto for payments, more than one in four cited merchants’ willingness to accept digital assets as a compelling driver. The perceived advantages often cited include faster settlement, enhanced privacy, and lower transaction costs. By contrast, fewer than 10% of businesses singled out crypto payments as a safer alternative to banks or due to distrust in the traditional banking system.
Key takeaways
• Around 10% of U.S. adults used or invested in crypto in 2025, the highest level in three years but below 2021’s peak of 12%.
• Crypto usage was notably higher among the unbanked (about 6%) than among banked adults (about 2%), highlighting potential inclusion benefits.
• Investment remains the dominant use case (roughly 9%), with payments (2%) and remittance (1%) trailing behind.
• Merchant attitudes matter: over 25% of crypto users who paid with digital assets reported that a business preferred crypto for speed, privacy, and cost savings.
• Industry push is underway to normalize crypto payments, with Block and Lightspark among the notable efforts expanding on-ramps and off-ramps for everyday usage.
• The 2025 data coincides with a leadership transition at the Federal Reserve and a shift in political sentiment toward Bitcoin, with new leadership signaling a more crypto-tolerant stance.
Categories rationale: The article discusses the adoption and usage of cryptocurrency in the US, highlighting its role in payments and financial inclusion, which relates to 'Scalability' and 'Retail & Global Adoption'. The mention of industry players and potential shifts in regulatory stance touches upon 'Institutional Adoption' and 'Onboarding/Prime Brokerage'. The underlying technology and its use for payments also link to 'Blockchain Usage' and specific networks like Lightning.Characteristics justification: The article presents data on crypto usage, indicating growth ('sentiment': 0.4) but also noting it's below previous peaks, suggesting a nuanced view. The discussion of adoption gaps, merchant preferences, and the potential impact of a new Fed chair introduces elements of 'uncertainty' (0.5). The focus on adoption metrics and industry initiatives suggests 'relevance' (0.8). The novelty of the Fed's annual report and the leadership transition contribute to 'entropy' (0.6). The information is current, reducing 'staleness' (0.3). The 'rwa' is true due to the discussion of stablecoins and their integration into payments.Tag relevance: The selected tags are crucial as they represent the key entities (Federal Reserve, individuals like Powell and Warsh), concepts (crypto usage, financial inclusion, payment adoption), and technologies (stablecoins, Bitcoin Lightning Network) discussed in the article. These terms are central to understanding the article's main points and its implications for the crypto market.asset-types: stable_coin
rwa: true
entropy: 0.6
sentiment: 0.4
staleness: 0.3
relevance: 0.8
uncertainty: 0.5RWATimes slug: coinmarketcap-fed-data-u-s-crypto-usage-reaches-10-in-2025-highest-since-2022-1770772402