In 2026, 11% of French people will own cryptocurrencies compared to 10% in 2025, according to the latest report from the Association for the Development of Digital Assets (Adan).
Cryptocurrencies continue to establish themselves in France. Today, 93% of French people know at least one cryptocurrency, up 16 points over the past 5 years. In 2026, 11% of French people will own cryptocurrencies compared to 10% in 2025, a slight increase over one year. This is what the latest study by the Association for the Development of Digital Assets (Adan) and Ipsos, presented this Wednesday April 8 in Bercy, reveals. In addition, 32% of respondents who have never held crypto are open to the idea of buying them in the future, constituting “the main lever for growth in the medium term”.
“This fifth edition marks a real turning point: crypto has become mainstream in minds and it is in the process of becoming mainstream in uses”, Stanislas Barthelemi, president of Adan.
In 2026, however, France will still lag behind other European countries where adoption rates are sometimes much higher: 13% in Italy, 15% in Belgium, 16% in the United Kingdom, 17% in Germany and 20% in the Netherlands.
In detail, 66% of buyers hold bitcoin, the leading crypto on the market, with 38% holding ether. Interesting fact: 20% hold USDC, a stablecoin backed by the dollar. This reflects a strong interest in these currencies while 88% of French people plan to acquire stablecoins backed by the euro in the future. The study was carried out in January 2026 among 7,000 respondents aged 18 and over including France (2,000 people) and five other countries (Germany, the United Kingdom, Italy, the Netherlands and Belgium).
“Complementary” asset class
The crypto investor profile is predominantly male (70% of respondents), with an average age of 39 years (50% of holders are between 18 and 34 years old). The French still remain “cautious” regarding this asset class: 14% of their total savings is allocated to cryptocurrencies, compared to 17% for real estate or even 34% for their retirement savings. This share even fell by 3 points compared to last year. “This could be a reflection of a mixed year 2025 for crypto-assets from a performance perspective,” according to the study.
In addition, 80% of crypto holders have less than 5,000 euros in cryptos.
“These elements confirm that crypto-assets are mainly integrated as a complementary asset class, and not as a substitute for traditional investments,” we can read.
Trust in banks
Finally, paradoxically, the French are increasingly turning to traditional banks to manage their cryptos instead of crypto platforms. In fact, 49% of respondents said they would prefer to go through their bank to access complex crypto offers from decentralized finance (DeFi).
“The favored intermediary for the acquisition and conservation of cryptoassets for acquirers is clearly becoming a crypto-native intermediary with an increase for online banks going respectively from 19% to 27%, and from 19 to 22% over one year,” we can read.
This is a new trend, which can be explained by the fear of losing one’s assets by going through a crypto platform (which can go bankrupt, be hacked, etc.) or by mishandling transfers by favoring self-preservation (via a Ledger or Trezor key).
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