A recent study claims that Russia and the UK have higher crypto adoption than anywhere else in Europe. These nations are taking very different approaches, but the raw data can provide important insights.
Technically, the UK is actually falling behind, relatively speaking, as Russia surpassed it, and EU members are catching up. Hopefully, adoption will continue growing across the sector.
SponsoredCrypto Adoption in Europe
The EU’s comprehensive MiCA regulations have caused a lot of consternation in local crypto markets; prominent firms left the region, building fears that it would become non-competitive.
A new report helps validate some of these claims, as the two countries in Europe with the highest crypto adoption levels aren’t in the EU at all.
On the contrary, Russia and Great Britain currently dominate crypto adoption in Europe. Even then, both of these nations are approaching the same question from different angles.
The UK recently ceded its top spot to Russia, and the gap between it and EU powerhouses like France and Germany is narrowing.
Aggressive new taxes are driving many businesses out of this market too, but the political system is trying to pivot away from disaster. Institutional figures and far-right ideologues alike are urging more pro-Web3 reforms, and this fight is making progress.
SponsoredStill, though, the nation’s crypto adoption compared to the rest of Europe seems more like a fluke.
Russian Sanctions Evasion
Russia, on the other hand, is tackling the Web3 industry with vigor and zeal. Chainalysis claims that Russia’s large institutional investors are adopting crypto more than any other investor class in Europe, and DeFi’s use in sanctions evasion makes a clear use case.
Plus, the state is also heavily invested in this sector. Russian government financing pops up everywhere from ruble-backed stablecoins to alleged covert operations, giving the industry a powerful ally.
Of course, this sort of operation looks quite different from an organic DeFi business sector, but it’s nonetheless encouraging grassroots adoption.
Hopefully, the rest of Europe will continue catching up to Britain, with actual adoption and Web3 innovation increasing. The EU is relaxing some of its worst restrictions, and TradFi crypto investment is on the rise.
This could help make the market competitive on the world stage again.
Still, there’s an important lesson here. Even if Russia’s state-approved use of crypto for sanctions evasion seems unsavory, it is yielding tangible benefits. The EU will need to provide a competing model if it wants to regain prominence in grassroots crypto adoption.
