A recent survey by crypto investment platform Bitpanda reveals a significant disconnect between European financial institutions and investor demand for digital assets. Despite over 40% of business investors already holding cryptocurrencies—and another 18% planning to invest soon—only 19% of surveyed institutions report seeing strong client demand for crypto services.
The survey, which included 10,000 retail and business investors across 13 European countries, highlights a roughly 30% gap between actual crypto adoption and banks’ perceptions of interest. While over 80% of financial institutions acknowledge the growing importance of cryptocurrencies, just 19% currently offer digital asset products.
Some banks are beginning to respond, with 18% planning to expand their crypto-related services, particularly in the area of crypto transfers. However, Bitpanda deputy CEO Lukas Enzersdorfer-Konrad emphasized that the main barriers to adoption are internal—such as lack of resources and expertise—rather than regulatory uncertainty.
“These can be overcome,” Enzersdorfer-Konrad told Cointelegraph, urging institutions to track revenue outflows and recognize the growing demand. “The challenge to financial institutions is clear: go and check your revenue outflows. You can see where customers are moving their money.”
The survey also revealed shifting preferences among investors. While 36% of business investors favor crypto exchanges for their digital asset holdings, 27% still prefer to use traditional banks. Among retail investors, 27% would choose banks over exchanges, suggesting that expanded bank offerings could boost mainstream crypto adoption in Europe.
With the European Union’s Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation (MiCA) providing greater legal clarity, Enzersdorfer-Konrad warned that institutions delaying crypto integration risk losing ground to more agile competitors and crypto-native firms. According to the survey, 28% of financial institutions expect crypto to become even more relevant in the next three years.
The findings suggest that banks need to realign with investor expectations or face losing market share in a rapidly evolving financial landscape.