Cryptocurrency payment acceptance among U.S. small businesses has climbed to 19% in 2026, recovering from a sharp decline the previous year, according to J.D. Power’s latest merchant services study released Tuesday. The uptick represents a four percentage point increase from 2025, when acceptance dropped to 15% from 20% in the 2024 report. While the 2026 figure almost matches 2024 levels, the recovery coincides with improved merchant sentiment: 37% now hold a favorable view of cryptocurrency, and one third of non-accepting merchants say they would likely accept crypto payments if their provider enabled the option.
“More press and political support in recent months have likely boosted the favorability of this medium as a payment type for small business to consider offering,” John Cabell, managing director of payments intelligence at J.D. Power, told Ledger Insights via email. Among merchants accepting cryptocurrency, 28% cite fast transaction speed as the primary reason, followed closely by customer demand (27%) and reliable performance (25%).
However, barriers to adoption persist. Merchants declining to accept crypto cite lack of customer demand (24%), fraud risk (24%), and difficulty of use or complicated processes (18%) as top concerns. The fraud finding is paradoxical, as explored below.
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