One in five top UK SMEs report customer interest in crypto payments — and that figure jumps among larger firms, a new DECTA whitepaper finds.
A survey of 500 UK SME decision‑makers by Censuswide (fieldwork: March 13–20, 2026), published by payments tech provider DECTA, shows cryptocurrency is emerging as a niche but growing payment preference — especially for higher‑turnover and internationally active businesses.
Key findings
- 11.8% of UK merchants say customers want the option to pay with cryptocurrency.
- That share rises to 20.7% for companies with annual turnover of £50m–£99.99m.
- When merchants ranked customer payment priorities, crypto came eighth (11.8%), behind payment security (48.6%), simplicity (42.2%), speed (37.2%), multiple payment options, refunds, guest checkout, and Buy Now Pay Later (BNPL). BNPL alone was a top priority for nearly 20% of respondents.
- Larger firms showed more interest in both open banking and crypto. DECTA concludes that payment providers that ignore crypto risk being viewed less favourably by some of their largest merchant customers.
Cross‑border trade and operational pain points
- 53.8% of surveyed SMEs already sell worldwide.
- 20.2% of merchants engaged in international trade said their cross‑border payments experience has worsened.
- Top business pain points were slow access to funds (19.4%), fraud and security concerns (16%), and opaque payment processing fees (14.2%).
- Security matters most overall: 51.8% of merchants would prioritise security over both lower fees and access to the latest payment tech — rising to 62.1% among micro‑businesses (1–9 employees).
Industry view and regulatory backdrop
DECTA CEO Scott Dawson, who also chairs the Payments Innovation Forum, told crypto.news that alternative payment methods are gaining traction among merchants. The firm’s analysis frames crypto as a minority but meaningful option — particularly for high‑turnover and globally active firms.
That commercial interest comes amid heightened regulatory scrutiny in the UK. The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) recently warned football clubs about sponsorships with unauthorised crypto firms and is progressing its crypto regulatory framework: firms will be able to apply for authorisation from September 30, 2026, with the full cryptoasset regime taking effect on October 25, 2027. In May, UK authorities sanctioned Huobi Global S.A. (linked to HTX) as part of an enforcement action tied to the A7 network, following FCA legal action against HTX over alleged unlawful promotions to UK consumers.
What it means
DECTA’s report paints crypto payments as a specialist but growing feature of the UK SME payments landscape — one that matters most to larger, internationally trading merchants. For payment providers and platforms, the takeaways are clear: speed, security and simplicity remain dominant customer demands, but refusing to accommodate crypto could be a competitive drawback when serving bigger merchants with global footprints.
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