Crypto at the Bank
How traditional finance and digital assets are moving closer together.
Think about the place where your paycheck lands and where you pay your bills from. For a growing number of Americans, that’s also where they’d like to find crypto.
That’s one of the clearest findings from NCA’s 2026 Crypto at the Bank Report. Together with The Harris Poll, we surveyed 2,017 U.S. adults in September about how they think about crypto at their bank, credit union, or financial advisor. The answers show banks and crypto moving closer together, with customers often a step ahead of the institutions they use.
Who wants banks to offer crypto?
If your bank offered crypto, would that change anything for you? 42% of Americans, about 112 million people, say crypto access would make them more likely to open an account with a bank and/or use the bank for more services. Those who’d be more likely to open an account outnumber those who’d be less likely by roughly two to one.
Interest runs even higher in some groups. Parents of kids under 18 lead at 62%, nearly twice the rate of adults without kids under 18 (33%), followed by adults ages 35 to 44 (58%), Hispanic adults (57%), Black adults (56%), and adults 18 to 34 (54%).
For many of these households, a bank that offers crypto would put crypto in the same place as their checking and savings.
Where do they want to buy crypto?
Ask Americans where they’d most prefer to buy crypto today, and a crypto exchange or app is the top choice at 19%. Banks and credit unions are close behind at 14%, and once brokerage and retirement accounts are added, 28% would prefer to buy through the kinds of financial institutions many people already use.
Interest also goes beyond buying. When asked what they’d like to access from their primary bank, Americans point to crypto ETFs or funds (22%), buying and holding crypto (22%), and digital versions of stocks, bonds, or real estate (19%). Some people are already planning the move. Within the next three years, 17% of Americans plan to move crypto into a bank, credit union, or brokerage, including 29% of adults 18 to 34.
Whose advice do they trust on crypto?
When people have questions about crypto, they want answers from someone they already know. That’s why financial advisors rank first as a source of reliable crypto guidance at 67%, followed closely by banks and credit unions at 64%. Crypto education organizations like NCA and crypto exchanges follow right behind at 63% each, while social media and online communities rank last at 39%.
That trust goes beyond advice. About 156 million, or 59%, say they would be comfortable with their primary bank holding their crypto for them. That number rises to 75% among parents of kids under 18.
For many people, crypto feels more approachable when it sits alongside the accounts they already use every day. That’s a lot of trust to place in institutions that, for most customers, haven’t raised the subject yet.
Who is - or is not - starting the conversation?
For all that interest, most Americans haven’t heard about crypto from their bank. Nearly two-thirds of Americans (64%), about 168 million people, say no one at their bank, credit union, or advisor’s office has ever brought it up, and 43% don’t know whether their bank offers crypto at all.
But when the topic does come up, banks and advisors are about four times as likely to recommend crypto as to advise against it (52% vs. 12%).
Those conversations also tend to happen more with younger customers, which may reflect an assumption that older adults aren’t interested. But NCA’s 2026 State of Crypto Holders Report found that among people who first bought crypto in 2025 or 2026, more are 55 and older (28%) than 18 to 24 (18%).
Looking ahead, 60% of Americans expect most U.S. banks to offer crypto within 10 years, and that rises to 74% when hearing from adults 18 to 34. So the next time you’re talking with your bank or advisor, you may want to start the crypto conversation, especially if they aren’t.
Read the full 2026 Crypto at the Bank Report for the complete findings, and if you’re working through your own crypto questions, explore our free learning resources that cover the basics so you can learn at your own pace.
Key takeaways
About 112 million Americans (42%) say a bank offering crypto would make them more likely to open an account there or use it for more of their financial needs. Americans rank financial advisors (67%) and banks or credit unions (64%) among the most credible sources of crypto guidance, and 59% would be comfortable with their bank holding their crypto. Even so, 64% say no one at their bank, credit union, or advisor’s office has ever brought crypto up with them…yet.