NEW YORK — Cryptocurrencies and stablecoins could move more quickly into everyday commerce if consumers are able to spend digital assets through familiar banking apps, debit cards and existing payment networks rather than having to adopt entirely new ways to pay, a new report indicates.
The July 2026 Payments Innovation Tracker from PYMNTS found that consumers are increasingly interested in using cryptocurrencies and stablecoins for purchases and money transfers, but limited merchant acceptance, concerns about trust and fragmented payment experiences continue to slow adoption.
One potential path to wider use is connecting digital assets with payment tools consumers already understand.
According to PYMNTS, 77% of consumers said they would open a cryptocurrency or stablecoin wallet through their existing bank or FinTech app if that capability were available.
The finding could give financial institutions and FinTech companies an advantage in expanding digital-asset use because they already have established customer relationships, authentication systems and familiar digital interfaces, PYMNTS said.
Another Bridge
Linked debit cards could provide another bridge between digital assets and conventional payments. The report found 71% of stablecoin holders said they would use a linked debit card to spend their digital assets.
Under that model, the digital asset can be converted at the point of sale and the transaction routed across existing payment networks, allowing merchants to receive funds through payment systems they already use. Consumers, meanwhile, would not need to learn a different checkout process.
PYMNTS said broader adoption will also depend on payment infrastructure capable of handling real-time authorization, currency conversion and card issuance across both digital assets and traditional networks.
The report cited Rain, a digital-asset card infrastructure provider, as an example. PYMNTS said Rain expanded approximately 38-fold in 2025 and reached more than $3 billion in annualized spending after securing direct Visa network membership.
The report said the growth illustrates how modern processing infrastructure could allow issuers to expand digital-asset payment programs more quickly and reach more consumers.
Digital currencies are already gaining traction in business payments, particularly for international transactions.
Majority of Volume
According to PYMNTS, business-to-business cross-border transfers account for most global stablecoin payment volume. Businesses are being attracted by faster settlement, potentially lower transaction costs and access to dollar-linked assets in markets where local currencies may be volatile.
Consumer interest, however, continues to exceed the opportunities available to spend digital currencies.
PYMNTS reported 42% of stablecoin holders want to use digital assets for major purchases, compared with 28% who currently do so. Nearly half of stablecoin holders cited limited merchant acceptance as an obstacle.
The report also pointed to regulatory developments that could encourage further adoption, including the European Union’s Markets in Crypto-Assets, or MiCA, regulatory framework and the U.S. GENIUS Act, which established standards governing payment stablecoins and their issuers.
The Challenge Now
PYMNTS said the challenge now is translating growing consumer interest and greater regulatory clarity into practical payment products.
The report concluded that adoption could depend less on persuading consumers and merchants to embrace entirely new payment behavior and more on making digital assets work within banking apps, cards and payment networks they already use.
