EU Countries Behind the Pace on Crypto

Increased Involvement from Governments Would Increase Consumer Confidence

New research commissioned by leading global cryptocurrency company Luno has revealed that nearly half (47%) of European countries are still sceptical about the profitability and safety of cryptocurrencies. Whereas nearly 4 in 5 (79%) of those in emerging markets* outside of Europe are more optimistic about the profitability of cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin and Ethereum.

Cryptocurrencies are attracting interest from investors outside of Europe, with more than 8 of 10 (82%) people in emerging markets purchasing crypto solely to invest. This is compared to only 58% of Europeans who have invested in cryptocurrencies to boost their bank balance, and over a quarter (29%) use cryptocurrencies solely to shop online. However, cryptocurrencies are fulfilling their mission to become the future of payments, with 29% of emerging markets and 21% of Europeans having already received cryptocurrencies as a form of payment.

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However, Europeans are showing less confidence in the safety of cryptocurrencies compared to emerging markets. In the long term, only a third believe that cryptocurrencies are a safe investment compared to over two-thirds (69%) of those in emerging markets. Although confidence is low in European markets, more than 8 out of 10 (84%) of consumers that don’t own cryptocurrencies are interested in owning crypto in the near future.

Europeans and emerging markets are in agreement over what could influence their opinion on cryptocurrencies, with over a third (37%) of Europeans and nearly half (44%) of emerging markets agreeing that an increase in price stability would have a positive impact on their view of cryptocurrencies. Along with this, 43% of Europeans and 48% of emerging markets would like to see less risk of losing money, and under a third would change their opinion of crypto if Governments took a positive outlook on the cryptosphere.

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The complicity of cryptocurrencies is also a stumbling block for consumers with just under half of Europeans (48%) and emerging markets (49%) stating that using crypto is complicated. Luno is looking to decrease these numbers and help educate consumers on the importance of future crypto use within the financial landscape through a series of exclusive lectures in more than 15 universities across Italy. They have also launched an online help centre, whilst also running monthly educational talks in Amsterdam called Bitcoin Wednesdays.

Christian Zeiler, GM Europe from Luno said: “It’s really interesting to see that even in times of uncertainty in the crypto market, consumers that don’t own any cryptocurrency are looking to get involved in the crypto space. I still think there is a long way to go to get these consumers to buy cryptocurrency but we are leading the way in educating the general public in the benefits of cryptocurrencies and through our educational programmes and talks we hope that we can show the consumers that think cryptocurrencies are complicated that this is not the case and get them more involved in this evolving technology.”

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