Crypto remains a fringe payment method for euro area businesses, with the European Central Bank reporting that only 0.2% of companies selling online accept crypto assets and that acceptance at physical points of sale stayed below 1% in both 2024 and 2026. The survey of 8,205 businesses across 21 euro area countries found cash remained dominant, accepted by 92% of companies with physical outlets in 2026, while physical card acceptance stood at 88% and mobile payments made the biggest gains, rising to 68% in 2026 from 36% in 2024. The ECB used Bitcoin, Ether and Tether's USDt as examples of crypto assets or stablecoins in the survey. The report was published as the ECB continues work on a digital euro, a central bank digital currency intended to complement cash and support the euro's role. It also showed merchants mainly choose payment methods based on consumer preference, security and ease of handling, while companies rejecting cash most often pointed to weak demand, cash management difficulties and security risks.