One in five upper-tier UK SMEs say customers want crypto payment options, new survey finds
A new whitepaper from payments firm DECTA, shared with crypto.news, reveals rising interest in crypto payments among larger British small and medium-sized enterprises — even as security and simplicity remain merchants’ top priorities.
Survey details
- 500 UK SME decision-makers surveyed by Censuswide, March 13–20, 2026.
- Overall, 11.8% of merchants said customers want the option to pay in cryptocurrency.
- That figure jumps to 20.7% among businesses with annual turnover of £50m–£99.99m.
Where crypto fits in merchants’ priorities
Merchants rank payment factors in this order of importance, with crypto well down the list:
- Payment security: 48.6%
- Simplicity: 42.2%
- Speed: 37.2%
Other priorities cited include multiple payment options, refunds, guest checkout and Buy Now Pay Later (BNPL). Cryptocurrency placed eighth overall at 11.8%, while BNPL was a top customer priority for nearly 20% of respondents. DECTA noted open banking and crypto are attracting disproportionate interest from larger firms.
“Alternative payment methods continue to gain traction among merchants,” said Scott Dawson, DECTA CEO and chair of the Payments Innovation Forum. DECTA warns that payment providers who ignore crypto risk losing favor with some of their largest merchant clients.
Cross-border pain points and priorities
The report also highlights the growing importance of international payments:
- 53.8% of UK SMEs already sell products and services globally.
- 20.2% of merchants involved in global trade said their international payments experience has worsened.
Top business payment challenges were slow access to funds (19.4%), fraud and security concerns (16%), and lack of transparency around payment processing fees (14.2%). More than half (51.8%) of surveyed merchants would prioritize security over lower fees and access to the latest payment tech — rising to 62.1% among micro-businesses (1–9 employees).
Regulatory backdrop
These adoption signals come amid heightened UK regulatory scrutiny of crypto. This month the Financial Conduct Authority warned football clubs about sponsorship deals involving unauthorised crypto firms, and continues to develop a wider crypto framework. Under the FCA’s timetable, crypto firms can apply for authorisation from September 30, 2026, with the full cryptoasset regime set to take effect October 25, 2027.
Separately, UK authorities sanctioned Huobi Global S.A. (linked to HTX) in May as part of an enforcement action focused on alleged ties to the A7 network. That followed FCA legal action against HTX over alleged unlawful crypto promotions in the UK.
Takeaway
Crypto payments remain a minority preference among UK SMEs overall, but the DECTA survey shows meaningful demand among higher-turnover and internationally active merchants. For payment providers and crypto firms, the message is clear: while security and simplicity still rule, offering crypto and other alternative payment rails could be increasingly important to win and retain larger, globally trading clients.
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