Survey Finds 99% of European Financial Firms See Regulation Driving Wider Digital-Asset Adoption

Most European financial institutions expect cryptocurrency regulation to spur digital-asset adoption and are increasing investment in related infrastructure.

News.Bitcoin.com reported on August 4 that a Fireblocks survey of more than 600 senior executives found that 99% of European financial institutions and 100% of U.K. institutions said regulatory policy would support digital-asset adoption.

In Europe, investment has accelerated after the Markets in Crypto-Assets regulation, or MiCA, set regulatory standards. The survey showed 53% of European financial institutions had already committed funds to related businesses before 2026, compared with a global average of 42%.

In the U.K., where regulators are still putting a framework in place, 36% of financial institutions have already allocated budgets and 59% plan additional investment this year.

Real-time payments and 24-hour fund settlement were identified as the main use cases, with 86% of European financial institutions and 82% of U.K. institutions selecting them as core business areas.

In Europe, 62% of respondents said they plan to use tokenized money market funds, or MMFs. In the U.K., 50% of financial institutions said they are pursuing issuance of their own stablecoins, above Europe's 40%.

Fireblocks said European financial institutions are already expanding business under an established regulatory framework, while U.K. firms are preparing infrastructure investment as they wait for rules to be finalized.