In Switzerland, one in four adults uses cryptocurrency at least occasionally. In neighboring Germany, only one in nine does. The twofold difference doesn't seem accidental: behind it lies not just interest in bitcoin, but years of thoughtful decisions that have turned a small country into a laboratory for digital finance.
A BearingPoint study, conducted by YouGov in June 2026 among over four thousand people, showed: 23% of Swiss use crypto assets, compared to 11% in Germany and 18% in Austria. Moreover, 37% of Swiss residents consider such assets a profitable investment – noticeably more than in other surveyed countries. The gap is also evident in attitudes towards the future: almost half of Swiss see cryptocurrencies as a means of international payments or a reserve asset.
The roots of leadership lie in legislation. As early as 2021, Switzerland introduced a law on distributed ledger technology (DLT), which did not create a separate "crypto-codex" but integrated digital assets into existing civil and financial law norms. Companies gained clarity on issues of bankruptcy, licensing, and tokenization of securities. While other European countries were still discussing risks, hundreds of projects were already operating in Zug and Zurich.
Today, "Crypto Valley" unites 1749 companies – a 132% increase since 2020. It is home to Ethereum, Cardano, Solana developers, and banks like Sygnum and Bitcoin Suisse. This concentration creates a self-sustaining cycle: lawyers, investors, and talents attract new firms, which in turn strengthen the infrastructure. Young people in Switzerland are particularly active in using crypto – 36% aged 18–24.
In Germany, on the other hand, a cautious approach prevailed until recently. Banks are only now obtaining licenses: DZ Bank and Dekabank, serving about 80 million clients together, have started offering trading in bitcoin, ether, and other assets through the VR Banking app. This may reduce the gap, but personal adoption remains lower for now.
Interestingly, the Swiss are not abandoning traditional instruments. 80–87% of respondents in all three countries still trust fiat currencies, and 64% of Swiss continue to see gold as protection against inflation. Cryptocurrency is perceived not as a replacement, but as an additional tool – another layer in the portfolio.
Switzerland's experience shows: when regulations appear before mass demand, trust and infrastructure grow together. The question is not who notices the trend first, but who first creates conditions under which people can safely experiment with new forms of money.
