Swiss adults use crypto twice as often as Germans

A Bearingpoint survey found 23% of Swiss adults use cryptocurrency at least occasionally, roughly double Germany’s 11% rate and ahead of Austria’s 18%, indicating higher retail uptake in Switzerland.

The online poll was conducted by YouGov from June 18 to June 29 and sampled 2,031 people in Germany, 1,003 in Austria and 1,001 in Switzerland. The sample was weighted by age, gender and region to produce a representative set of responses from slightly more than 4,000 adults across the three countries.

Beyond ownership, the survey asked about crypto as an investment and about the role of digital assets in international trade and reserves. In Switzerland, 37% of respondents judged cryptocurrency a worthwhile investment, compared with 28% in Austria and 23% in Germany. On the question of whether digital assets could serve in international trade or as reserve currencies, 45% of Swiss respondents agreed, versus 36% in Austria and 32% in Germany.

Opinions on central bank digital currencies also varied. Forty-four percent of Swiss respondents said they would consider using a digital franc in daily life, compared with 38% in Austria and 29% in Germany. The survey distinguished a central bank digital currency as a digital form of government-issued money, different from privately issued cryptocurrencies.

Adoption was strongest among younger adults. In Switzerland 36% of respondents aged 18 to 24 reported using cryptocurrency; Austria and Germany showed similar age patterns at lower levels. The survey also found variation in use by gender, education and income.

The study placed Switzerland’s consumer figures in the context of earlier regulatory and industry developments. Swiss lawmakers approved a Distributed Ledger Technology Act in September 2020, and the framework became fully effective on Aug. 1, 2021. Rather than creating a single new law for crypto, legislators amended existing financial and civil rules to clarify how tokenized assets are treated, to set bankruptcy procedures for tokens and to introduce licensing for specialized DLT trading facilities.

Industry data referenced in the study showed 1,749 active blockchain and DLT companies in the Crypto Valley region in 2024, a 14% increase from the prior year and a 132% rise since 2020. Zug hosted about 719 companies, around 41% of the region’s total, while Zurich accounted for roughly 15%. Other Swiss cantons and Liechtenstein also host clusters that provide legal, banking and venture capital services for blockchain businesses.

Survey responses indicated traditional finance remains widely trusted. Between 80% and 87% of respondents across the three countries said government-issued currencies remain effective payment instruments. In Switzerland about 64% of respondents identified gold as an inflation hedge.

Germany is pursuing a different route to broaden retail access by integrating crypto services into mainstream banking. Cooperative banks linked to DZ Bank and savings banks tied to Dekabank together maintain about 80 million customer relationships. DZ Bank received authorization in late December 2025 for a “meinkrypto” platform that is being integrated into the VR Banking App; the service launched with bitcoin, ether, litecoin and cardano, and custody is provided by Börse Stuttgart Digital. Individual cooperative banks must choose whether to activate the feature. Dekabank is developing a comparable platform for the Sparkassen network, which serves about 50 million customers, with an initial rollout through 2026 focused on bitcoin and ether.

The study contrasted Switzerland’s earlier legal clarity and concentrated industry with Germany’s potential distribution reach through established banks. Dr. Robert Bosch, Bearingpoint’s global head of financial services, commented: “Germany discusses risks, while the neighbors are already using and investing more strongly.”