Recommended Free Tools
Two 2026 surveys point to interest in digital assets, but they do not measure one shared wave of adoption. Visa found that 46% of surveyed consumers across 14 Asia Pacific markets said they were likely to use stablecoins within five years; 16% reported using them in the prior 12 months. Separately, CoinShares found that a majority of surveyed affluent investors in seven US and European markets held digital assets, and many current investors planned to increase exposure in 2026. The first result is future payment intent; the second combines existing investment ownership with plans. Neither shows that stated intentions will become behavior.
What the Visa survey says about stablecoin interest
Visa’s Consumer 360 survey covered 14,250 people aged 18 to 65 in 14 Asia Pacific markets: Mainland China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Japan, Korea, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, the Philippines, Vietnam, India, Australia and New Zealand. Fieldwork took place in June and July 2026. Visa commissioned the study. Visa’s announcement describes the results.
Interest is higher than reported recent use
Forty-six percent said they were likely to use stablecoins within five years, while 16% said they had used them in the previous 12 months. The 46% is a measure of stated likelihood, not a forecast of completed transactions or proof that stablecoin payments are available in every surveyed market.
Forty-nine percent believed stablecoins could become a common way to move money across borders within five years. The release also identifies online purchases, travel spending and overseas shopping as potential uses, rather than reporting that these uses have become routine.
#1 Best Overall
Awareness does not mean understanding
Although 66% were aware of stablecoins, only 6% demonstrated accurate understanding of how they work. Among respondents aware of stablecoins who had never used them, 38% cited fraud or scam concerns and 36% cited lack of understanding. Asked whom they would trust to provide stablecoins, respondents most often named government- or central-bank-linked entities (27%), followed by banks or regulated financial institutions (26%).
Visa’s head of digital currencies for Asia Pacific, Nischint Sanghavi, said consumers want stablecoins to fit into payment systems they already trust. That is a company executive’s interpretation of the desired experience, not an independent conclusion established by the survey.
What CoinShares says about affluent investors
The CoinShares Affluent Investor Crypto Report surveyed 2,230 people in the United States, United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, Sweden and Switzerland from May 11 to June 5, 2026. Participants had at least $500,000 in investable assets, excluding real estate, and had made at least one investment transaction in the preceding 12 months. CoinShares commissioned and funded the study, designed by Vardaxoglou Advisory in collaboration with the company. CoinShares’ announcement reports its findings.
Ownership and portfolio allocation
Digital-asset ownership ranged from 54% of respondents in Sweden to around 70% in the United States, United Kingdom, Germany and Switzerland. Across markets, allocations clustered around 10% of portfolios. CoinShares does not publish a precise pooled allocation or a separate exact figure for each country, so “around 10%” should be read as approximate rather than as a standardized allocation target.
Bitcoin was held by 80% of digital-asset investors on average. Among bitcoin investors, 89% also held other digital assets.
Plans to invest more are still plans
In five of the seven markets, at least 85% of current digital-asset investors said they planned to increase their exposure in 2026. The reported share was 91% in the United States, United Kingdom and Germany. These are intentions reported by people who already invest in digital assets; they do not establish that investors subsequently bought more.
CoinShares also reports that long-term appreciation and diversification ranked ahead of speculation as investment motives in all seven markets. Six percent identified primarily as short-term traders. In addition, 79% supported increased digital-asset market regulation, 69% would consider a wealth manager with crypto expertise, and 88% said they lacked the knowledge to invest with full confidence.
Why the surveys are not directly comparable
The surveys address different personal-finance questions. Visa asked a broad consumer sample in Asia Pacific about stablecoin awareness, past use and possible future payment use. CoinShares asked relatively wealthy, recently active investors in the United States and Europe about digital-asset ownership, portfolio allocation and planned investment. Stablecoins are one category of digital asset; the surveys do not measure the same asset, population, geography or behavior.
Free tools Windows power users keep installed
One-click scans. No signup required.
Best Value
| Measure | Visa Consumer 360 | CoinShares Affluent Investor Crypto Report |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 14,250 consumers aged 18–65 | 2,230 people with at least $500,000 in investable assets, excluding real estate, and a recent investment transaction |
| Geography | 14 Asia Pacific markets | United States and six European markets |
| Fieldwork | June–July 2026 | May 11–June 5, 2026 |
| Central question | Stablecoin awareness, reported recent use and possible future payment use | Digital-asset ownership, portfolio allocation and intended changes to investment exposure |
| Sponsor context | Commissioned by Visa | Commissioned and funded by CoinShares; designed with Vardaxoglou Advisory |
How much weight should you put on the findings?
Both releases come from companies with commercial interests in digital payments or digital assets, so their results are useful snapshots of reported views, not neutral measures of global adoption. CoinShares says its survey used age and gender quotas, split participants evenly between two investable-asset bands, and relied on an online panel; it cautions that online panels can be affected by sampling and self-selection. Its portfolio-allocation result is also approximate. The Visa figures describe the surveyed Asia Pacific respondents and should not be generalized to every consumer or market.
For consumers, the Visa findings suggest a gap between curiosity and confidence: reported awareness is much more common than accurate understanding, and some non-users explicitly cite fraud concerns. For investors, CoinShares documents substantial existing ownership within its affluent sample, alongside intentions to add exposure and calls for stronger regulation. Neither survey independently verifies what respondents will do next.
Quick Recap
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
