European investors may switch banks for better crypto access, survey finds

European banks face mounting pressure to expand cryptocurrency services or risk losing customers to competitors offering superior digital asset access. A Börse Stuttgart Digital survey conducted by Marketagent between August 2025 and January 2026, covering 6,000 individuals across Germany, Italy, Spain, and France, found that 35% of European investors would consider switching banks if another institution provided stronger crypto investment options. The geographic variation is notable: Spain leads at 40%, Italy at 35%, France at 33%, and Germany at 29%, suggesting heterogeneous demand across the continent.

The survey reveals a growing retail crypto base that is willing to engage with traditional banking infrastructure. Approximately 25% of respondents reported already holding digital assets, with Spain again leading at 28%, followed by Germany at 25%. Despite widespread skepticism—more than 60% of investors describe themselves as poorly informed about crypto, and 69% view it as overly complex—trust in established banks remains substantially higher than in specialized crypto platforms. Investors are more than twice as likely to trust their primary bank for crypto services, indicating that regulatory legitimacy and institutional branding matter significantly to retail participants.

A parallel Bitpanda survey highlights a critical supply-side constraint: only 19% of European banks currently offer digital asset products, despite 40% of business investors already holding crypto positions. This 30% gap between actual investor participation and bank product availability reveals a substantial competitive vulnerability. While 80% of institutional players acknowledge crypto's strategic importance, barriers including insufficient internal resources, technical knowledge gaps, and regulatory uncertainty have prevented rapid service expansion.

The institutional investment landscape reinforces these retail trends. Recent data indicates that 65% of institutional investors now view crypto as a diversification component, with over 75% expecting to increase their digital asset allocation. This institutional momentum, combined with the EU's Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation (MiCA) providing clearer regulatory frameworks, is creating conditions for accelerated bank adoption. The convergence of retail demand, institutional capital flows, and regulatory clarity suggests that crypto service offerings may become a material differentiator in European retail banking within the next 12-24 months.