Crypto Payments Gain Traction Among Britain’s Largest SMEs

A whitepaper from payment provider DECTA, based on data from 500 decision-makers, reveals that 11.8% of UK merchants overall see crypto as a customer priority. This interest intensifies significantly as company size increases. Despite the uptick, security remains the dominant focus for 48.6% of respondents, followed by payment simplicity and transaction speed.

International commerce is a major driver for these evolving preferences, with 53.8% of surveyed SMEs selling products globally. Many of these firms report that cross-border payment processes have grown more complex, leading to increased interest in diverse financial tools like Buy Now Pay Later and open banking alongside crypto. However, merchants remain cautious, with over half prioritizing ironclad security over both cost savings and the adoption of cutting-edge tech.

This trend emerges against a backdrop of tightening oversight. The Financial Conduct Authority is moving toward a comprehensive licensing regime, with authorization applications opening in September 2026 and a full framework set for October 2027. Despite these regulatory pressures and recent enforcement actions against specific platforms, the data suggests that for the UK’s larger enterprises, integrating digital assets is becoming a strategic necessity rather than a niche experiment.