PRESS COVERAGE: EURONEWS

Crypto has had a rocky year in 2025, notably experiencing a major sell-off when US President Donald Trump threatened new tariffs on China in October. Looking at longer-term trends, ownership of these assets is — however — rising across Europe.

In an interview with Euronews Business, our Chief Risk and Compliance Officer, James Sullivan, comments that the notable rise in ownership of crypto assets confirms that European retail interest is strengthening, showing that previous crypto winter chills are now a distant memory for consumers.

“This growing confidence is attributed to the cyclical return of global market momentum, but critically, the consumer protection afforded by the Markets in Crypto-Assets (MiCA) regulation,”

“MiCA signals that the EU is recognising the sector as mainstream, which engenders trust and attracts new investors previously cautious.”

“Crypto market remains speculative”

Sullivan noted that the divergence between investment and payment purposes highlights that the crypto market remains overwhelmingly speculative and investment-focussed.

“While cryptocurrencies, particularly stablecoins, offer tangible transactional benefits, their use as day-to-day money is still relatively unknown and ranks well behind traditional methods like cards and cash for consumers,” he said.

He pointed out that despite significant institutional adoption, most European consumers are not utilising crypto for daily transactions.

“The long-term shift toward utility will rely heavily on the success of MiCA in regulating euro-denominated stablecoins and integrating them seamlessly into existing payment infrastructures, a challenge that remains a core focus of the ECB,” he said.

— James Sullivan, Chief Risk and Compliance Officer

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