70% of European Union Crypto Payments Used for Retail, and Beverages
The growing acceptability of digital assets in the region, combined with government assistance, may be driving the adoption of crypto payments.
According to a report by Oobit, a cryptocurrency payments platform that studied its users’ purchasing habits, 70% of crypto payments in the European Union are used for retail, food, and beverage purchases.
The analysis, which denominated all transactions in US dollars, found that the average payment amount via the Oobit app was $8.36, while the average deposit into the app was roughly $85. After retail and food and beverage sales, 26% of payments were made for tourism-related activities like hotel, transport, and aviation. 1.5% went to government services and digital payments, with the remaining 1.5% going to miscellaneous items such as healthcare and entertainment.
According to the survey, the greater popularity of crypto payments is most likely due to the EU’s growing acceptance of digital assets, with increased credibility coming from states implementing crypto legislation.
Micropayments, stablecoins growing crypto use cases
Micropayments, which occasionally employ stablecoins, have become a popular use case for cryptocurrency. Advances in technology, such as the Lightning Network, which has enabled rapid micropayments in Bitcoin BTC$85,805, and crypto debit cards, which provide “crypto-back,” have accelerated its adoption. As the headline of Oobit’s research suggests, cryptocurrency is evolving from a joke to a means of exchange.
These developments have started to drive global adoption. In June 2024, Nubank introduced the Lightning Network to 100 million Latin American consumers.
In June 2023, IBEX teamed with Grupo Salinas to enable millions of Mexicans to pay their internet bills with Bitcoin. On March 13, 2025, Ripple received a Dubai license to facilitate cryptocurrency payments in the United Arab Emirates.
Then there are the stablecoins themselves, such as USDt and Circle’s USDC (USDC$0.9998). According to DefiLlama, the stablecoin market capitalization has increased by 266%, from $62.8 billion on April 1, 2021, to $229.6 billion on March 18, 2025.
These fiat-pegged cryptocurrencies are often used in poor nations where local currencies are depreciated. Some major factors to keep an eye on include the introduction of central bank digital currencies, which may push citizens towards more decentralized options, as well as the convergence of crypto payment providers and traditional financial institutions.
Crypto-asset investments are high-risk; you may lose your capital