The ways people use crypto keep growing.
Today, 41% of holders send crypto to friends and family, up from 31% in 2025. Another 40% use crypto to shop for goods and services, a figure that has held steady year over year. Gaming climbed from 20% to 28%. Charitable donations are emerging at 19%, with platforms like The Giving Block making crypto donations accessible to nonprofits. And property tokenization moved from 15% to 19%.
- 41%send crypto to friends and family, up from 31% in 2025.
The share of holders actively using crypto rose from 80% in 2025 to 87% in 2026.
TOP FIVE USE CASES
| 2025 | 2026 | 2026 ACTUAL # OF AMERICANS | % CHANGE | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SENDING CRYPTO TO FAMILY OR FRIENDS | 31% | 41% | 27.5M | +10% |
| SHOPPING FOR GOODS AND SERVICES | 39% | 40% | 26.8M | +1% |
| BOUGHT, SOLD, OR UTILIZED BLOCKCHAIN NFTS | 32% | 30% | 20.1M | -2% |
| BUYING OR SELLING ARTWORK | 17% | 15% | 10M | -2% |
| PARTICIPATING IN GAMING ACTIVITIES | 20% | 28% | 18.8M | +8% |
TOP THREE ACCELERATING USE CASES
TOP TWO DECLINING USE CASES
While utility cases grow, the more speculative and collectible use cases are cooling.
For years, crypto was treated as a single-purpose tool. Today, 41% of holders describe crypto as an investment, payment method, and technology platform simultaneously.
People are using one tool for several different things, just as they use a phone to text, pay a bill, and play a game in the same afternoon.
Investing remains a priority. More than half of holders say they are interested in incorporating crypto into their financial planning over the next two to three years.
ROB
PRESIDENT & CO-FOUNDER, WYOMING
For generations, cattle have changed hands with a paper bill of sale and a handshake. Once an animal leaves the ranch, the trail goes cold, and ranchers who invested in better genetics or humane handling have little proof to show for it. Rob Jennings, a rancher and cofounder of CattleProof Verified, is using blockchain to change that. The program logs each animal's data onto a tamper-proof ledger.
The birthdate, breed, pasture moves, and vaccinations are all there. A QR code on the package at the grocery store lets a shopper review the animal's full history right at the meat counter.
Blockchain is really at the crossroads of the Old West and new tech.
