Banca Sella, Italy’s second-oldest bank, wants to offer Bitcoin trading to over 1.3 million customers. The bank isn’t exactly known for chasing trends, so this development is quite interesting.
They’re releasing it through their mobile banking app, Hype, and they’re already beta testing with a small group of their Hype Plus customers. Soon, every customer with the app will be able to trade Bitcoin.
Global crypto ownership on the rise
Let’s put this in perspective. Crypto ownership worldwide is climbing fast. Right now, around 6.8% of the global population owns some form of cryptocurrency. That’s about 560 million people.
The United States is seeing a big jump, with 40% of adults now holding crypto—up from 30% last year. That’s roughly 93 million Americans who are now part of the crypto scene.
India isn’t far behind, with about 93.5 million crypto owners. In China, despite the government’s tough stance on crypto, around 59.1 million people still own digital assets.
Vietnam is also getting in on the action, with 20.9 million people holding cryptocurrencies. The growth rate for crypto ownership has been insane—99% over the last five years.
Compare that to the 8% growth rate of traditional payment methods, and it’s clear where things are headed.
Institutional adoption and consumer sentiment
Big companies are jumping in too. More than half of the Fortune 100 companies have dabbled in cryptocurrency, blockchain, or Web3 projects since 2020.
Around 60% of these companies have active projects—either in pre-launch or already live. And get this: over 80% are planning or currently executing some kind of crypto-related initiative.
Consumers are feeling good about crypto too. A survey by Security.org found that 63% of current crypto owners plan to buy more in the coming year. Bitcoin, Ethereum, Dogecoin, and Cardano are at the top of the shopping list.
The demographics are changing too. More women are getting into crypto—up from 18% to 29% just this year. And it’s not just the guys anymore. Younger folks, especially those between 18 and 35, are also showing a strong interest in using crypto for payments.
Crypto’s appeal is even spreading to charity. More organizations are accepting crypto donations, and these contributions are consistent throughout the year.
About 28% of the crypto donation volume happened in the last quarter of the previous year, but the rest is spread out. Seventy percent of donations came in outside the traditional year-end giving season.
More than 85% of U.S. merchants see enabling crypto payments as a top priority. Those who have jumped on the bandwagon are seeing some serious returns—an average ROI of 327%, with some reporting up to a 40% increase in new customers.
