Crypto Goes Continental: 33% Of French Catch The Bug, Italians Go Full Bull

France experiences a sudden surge in cryptocurrency interest as one-third of its population now intend to purchase digital coins in 2025. This represents a huge increase in potential adoption even after recent market slowdowns. The trend indicates an increasing mainstream acceptance of cryptocurrencies throughout Europe with different rates of adoption in different countries.

French Crypto Appetite Grows To New Heights

In a recent study entitled “Web3 and Crypto in France and Europe,” 33% of French users intend to buy crypto assets by 2025. The research, carried out by the Association for the Development of Digital Assets (Adan), indicates that there is a 10-percentage point uptick in interest in coin investments among the French compared to what was previously indicated.

The annual report collected views from 2,000 residents of France as well as some 1,000 respondents across five other countries in Europe.

Only 10% of French individuals own crypto assets while the interest in these assets grows consistently. This positions France behind several other European nations, such as the United Kingdom (19%), the Netherlands (17%), and Belgium (17%), in real world adoption rates.

However, as enthusiastic as they are, the French are not the most enthusiastic digital currency users in Europe. That laurel falls to the Italians with 37% of the population stating interest in acquiring Bitcoin in 2012.

Restitution de l’étude annuelle Adan sur le Web3 et les crypto en France et en Europe

Rejoignez-nous le 10 avril au Ministère de l’@Economie_Gouv en compagnie de Madame la Ministre @ClaraChappaz pour la présentation de notre étude annuelle, réalisée en partenariat avec… pic.twitter.com/6Khrq2rE81

— Adan (@adan_asso) March 17, 2025

Banking And Financial Platforms Drive New Adoption

The crypto sector’s growing legitimacy plays a key role in attracting new investors. Based on the research findings, mainstream financial platforms like Revolut have become major gateways to cryptocurrency ownership. The neobank now serves as the second-largest acquisition platform, used by 24% of crypto users.

Laurent Ovion, the president of Adan, explained that “companies in the sector are demonstrating sound ambitions and high resilience, despite ongoing challenges related to financing and access to banking services.” This indicates that the sector is still expanding despite challenges experienced in the traditional financial markets.

The French economic newspaper Les Echos outlined the results as follows: “Although the percentage of French people who own cryptocurrencies is falling slightly, almost one third of French people would be willing to purchase Bitcoin. Cryptocurrencies have never been so popular with the French.”

The report informs that the adoption of cryptocurrencies goes beyond basic investment purposes. The research determined that 48% of respondents have positive sentiments towards crypto in decentralized digital identity systems. Further, 24% support cryptocurrencies as a payment method, and 22% find opportunities in decentralized finance (DeFi).

The in-depth research, which is in its fourth edition, was conducted in collaboration with Deloitte professional services network and multinational market research company Ipsos. The research tries to monitor the evolution of crypto asset adoption by the wider population and examine the dynamics of the Web3 sector.

Featured image from Alexander Spatari via Getty Images, chart from TradingView