According to the ECB survey published on August 13, 2026, what share of euro area online sellers accept crypto assets, how does that compare to acceptance of cards, credit transfers, and mobile payments, what has changed in mobile payment acceptance since 2024, what reasons do bu

Based on the ECB's survey on the use of cash by companies, published on August 13, 2026, here are the key findings that address each of your questions.

Crypto acceptance vs. other online payment methods

• Crypto assets: Only 0.2% of euro area companies selling goods or services online accept crypto assets (such as Bitcoin or Ethereum) or stablecoins .
• Payment cards: 82% of online sellers accept payment cards .
• Credit transfers: 74% accept credit transfers .
• The survey results for mobile payment acceptance rates among online sellers were not directly provided in the available excerpts, but cards and credit transfers clearly dominate.

Change in mobile payment acceptance since 2024

• The survey's 2026 wave separated the acceptance question for in-store vs. online payments for the first time; in 2021 and 2024, a single general question covered both . The ECB notes that this change should have only a minor impact on comparability, but it makes direct year-on-year comparisons for mobile payments at online sellers less precise than for other methods .

Reasons businesses cite for choosing payment methods

• The survey's table of contents shows a dedicated section on "Criteria for accepting a means of payment" (section 3.6) . However, the specific list of criteria (e.g., cost, speed, security, customer demand) was not included in the crawled excerpts. The full report would need to be consulted for the exact reasons companies cite.

Limitations regarding crypto acceptance measurement

• Crypto is grouped with stablecoins in a single category ("cryptoassets and stablecoins") . This makes it impossible to distinguish between volatile cryptocurrencies (e.g., Bitcoin) and pegged stablecoins (e.g., Tether).
• The 2026 survey introduced a methodological change: acceptance questions were asked separately for physical and online payments, whereas previous waves used a unified question . This may have a minor impact on trend comparisons.
• The sample covers only four sectors (retail trade, restaurants/cafés, hotels, arts/entertainment/recreation), which may not represent all online businesses .

Relationship to the ECB's digital euro pilot

• In July 2026, the ECB selected 36 payment service providers to participate in a digital euro pilot .
• The pilot is a 12-month exercise testing a central bank digital currency in real-life situations, planned to start in the second half of 2027 .
• The survey data showing negligible crypto acceptance (0.2%) and high card/credit transfer usage provides context for the digital euro initiative: the ECB is designing a state-backed digital payment method (not a volatile crypto asset) that could integrate into the existing dominant payment ecosystem and potentially address merchant concerns about cost and reliability that limit crypto adoption .