slow departure from cash: cryptocurrencies are becoming more important in Switzerland

<P> <strong> slow departure from cash: cryptocurrencies are becoming more important in Switzerland </strong> </p>

Cash payment and cryptocurrencies in Switzerland: A change in payment habits

In Switzerland, the preference for cash payments remains high, while the acceptance of cryptocurrencies is comparatively low. Nevertheless, the latest trends show that the Swiss are slowly turning away from cash transactions and possession of cryptocurrencies is becoming increasingly important.

decreasing dominance of cash payments

The Swiss National Bank (SNB) carried out a survey in autumn 2024 that dealt with the payment preferences of 2,000 people living in Switzerland. While the respondents shared their payment habits in telephone interviews and online forms, their daily payments were also recorded over a week in order to receive more detailed data

Despite the high number of people who continue to prefer cash as a means of payment - 95 % of those surveyed stated that they did not want to move away from cash - the survey shows that the use of cashless transactions is in the upswing. In 2023, about 35 % of the 18,623 transactions were handled with debit cards, while cash only issued 30 %. Five years earlier, consumers had made 70 % of their transactions with Fiat money. In the same period, the proportion of payments by credit card and mobile apps rose to 14 % and 18 %.

acceptance of cryptocurrencies in Switzerland

Despite the importance of Switzerland as a center for web3 and cryptocurrency innovations, the country did not make it into the top 20 of the Chainalysis Global Crypto Adoption Index 2024. The SNB survey shows that only a small part of the Swiss population is in the possession of cryptocurrencies. The acceptance of cryptocurrencies as a means of payment in Switzerland is currently only 10 %.

However, the survey indicates a slow but continuous increase in crypto owners. The report predicts an increase in crypto owners from 6 % in 2022 to 10 % in 2024. This increase in the age group of 15 to 34 year olds is particularly clear, where the share of 11 % increases to 17 %.

Also in the age groups from 35 to 54 years and over 55 years, the use of cryptocurrencies has increased for payments, whereby the climbs are around 5 % or 3 %.

Overall, it can be seen that cryptocurrencies in the Swiss case law are still regarded as a niche payment option. This is underlined by resistance in parliament against the introduction of a Bitcoin (BTC) reserve.

Change in payment habits is clear: While cash payments are still valued, the growing acceptance and use of cryptocurrencies is a signal for a changing financial landscape in Switzerland.