Cryptocurrencies have experienced a turbulent 2025, including a sharp sell-off in October following US President Donald Trump’s threat of new tariffs on China. Despite these fluctuations, crypto ownership continues to grow across Europe, according to recent reports.

The ‘Web3 Industry in France and Europe’ report by Adan, using data from early 2025, found that more than 90 percent of adults in major European economies are aware of crypto-assets. Ownership of these digital assets, though still limited, has been steadily increasing.

Data from a European Central Bank survey shows that in 2024, nine percent of adults in the eurozone held crypto-assets. Ownership varies across countries, ranging from six percent in the Netherlands and Germany to 15 percent in Slovenia. Other nations with above-average adoption include Greece, Ireland, Croatia, Cyprus, Lithuania, and Austria.

Experts attribute these differences to factors such as digital adoption, risk appetite, and local market conditions. James Sullivan, chief risk and compliance officer at BCB Group, told Euronews Business that countries with younger, more digitally-savvy investors and higher levels of financial innovation tend to have higher ownership rates. Local regulatory frameworks and economic conditions also play a role. In markets with limited traditional investment options, crypto may be used more speculatively, while awareness campaigns, like those conducted in Italy, boost adoption.

The UK, though not part of the eurozone, ranks third globally in transaction volumes behind the US and India, reflecting continued strong consumer activity.

Ownership of crypto-assets across the eurozone more than doubled between 2022 and 2024, rising from four percent to nine percent. Greece and Lithuania saw the largest increases, each climbing by ten percentage points, while Cyprus, Belgium, Ireland, Austria, Slovakia, Slovenia, Portugal, and Italy saw gains of seven points or more. The Netherlands was the only country where the rate remained unchanged.

Sullivan highlighted that growing European interest in crypto reflects renewed confidence following previous market downturns. The introduction of the Markets in Crypto-Assets (MiCA) regulation, which sets uniform EU rules for previously unregulated crypto assets, has contributed to trust and encouraged new investors.

The majority of crypto holders use these assets primarily as an investment. In the eurozone, 64 percent of users cited investment as their main purpose, 16 percent for payments, and 19 percent for both. The Netherlands and Germany, despite relatively low ownership rates, had the highest shares of investment-focused users at 90 and 82 percent, respectively. France reported the highest use for payments at 25 percent.

Sullivan noted that while cryptocurrencies, particularly stablecoins, have transactional potential, day-to-day use remains limited. He said broader adoption for payments will depend on MiCA’s success in regulating stablecoins and integrating them into existing payment systems, a key focus for the European Central Bank.

Gender inequality in the workplace goes beyond measurable gaps in pay and representation, a recent study suggests, showing that subtle changes in women’s job tasks after having children can significantly hinder long-term career growth.

While disparities in earnings, employment, and leadership roles are well documented, women who take primary responsibility for childcare often face additional, less visible barriers just when their careers would otherwise accelerate. Research from Germany highlights that after childbirth, women are frequently assigned fewer analytical, complex, and interactive tasks, especially when they reduce working hours, quietly limiting opportunities for advancement.

The study, published in the Journal of Marriage and Family and titled The Job Task Penalty for Motherhood, was conducted by Wiebke Schulz of Bremen University and Gundula Zoch of Carl von Ossietzky University Oldenburg. Using data from the German National Educational Panel Study, the researchers tracked 1,978 women from 2011 to 2020, analyzing changes in five key dimensions of job tasks: analytical, complex, autonomous, interactive, and manual.

Schulz explained that interactive tasks, which often involve coordination and being “on call” for colleagues or clients, are easiest to reassign when caregiving responsibilities arise. Analytical or complex tasks, requiring sustained focus or ownership of long-term projects, also decline, sometimes because managers pre-emptively steer mothers away from high-responsibility work regardless of their actual capacity.

“After childbirth, many women see a shift from high-cognitive, high-interaction tasks to a narrower set of duties,” Schulz told Euronews Business. “Even small short-term downgrades can accumulate. Analytical and interactive tasks are where skills grow, performance is visible, and leadership pipelines are built. Losing access to them can slow wage growth, reduce promotion chances, and lock people into flatter career trajectories—even if job titles remain unchanged.”

While the research focuses on Germany, Schulz noted that similar patterns appear across Europe, though the magnitude varies depending on cultural norms and institutional support.

The study recommends that employers make task allocation more transparent, tracking who receives high-growth assignments before and after parental leave or part-time transitions. Part-time roles can also be redesigned, with complex work broken into modular tasks and team-based ownership to maintain access to analytical and high-responsibility projects.

Training managers to recognize expectation-based bias is crucial, the study adds, as anticipatory reassignment can be just as damaging as performance-related reassignment. Policymakers are encouraged to expand full-day childcare and school coverage, strengthen flexible work rights with career protections, and incentivize fathers’ leave to reduce the assumption that mothers must adjust their roles.

The findings underline that gender inequality in the workplace is not only about who is hired or promoted, but also about the subtle ways work is allocated, shaping the long-term career paths of women across industries.

Fewer consumers in Europe are using cash as digital payments via cards and mobile devices become increasingly popular. Despite the trend, cash remains widely used in several countries and certain sectors, showing that coins and notes continue to play a key role in daily transactions.

According to a European Central Bank (ECB) survey, the median amount of cash carried in wallets across the eurozone in 2024 is €59. The figure varies significantly, from €35 in the Netherlands to €82 in Luxembourg and Cyprus. Among the EU’s largest economies, Germany leads with a median of €69, while France has the lowest at €50. Italy sits near the lower end, and Spain slightly above the eurozone median.

Professor Jakub Górka of the University of Warsaw told Euronews Business that cultural differences heavily influence cash usage. “Countries in Southern Europe, living in a warmer climate and with a habit of exchanging and trading more frequently in face-to-face interactions, are naturally more cash-oriented, while the countries in the North, such as Scandinavia, have historically had a stronger tendency to migrate more quickly to electronic banking and non-cash payments,” he explained.

Cash payments at points of sale have been steadily declining in the eurozone. Since 2016, the number of transactions made in cash dropped from 79% to 52% in 2024, while the value of cash payments fell from 54% to 39%. Nonetheless, cash accounted for slightly over half of all transactions in the eurozone last year, remaining the most common payment method in 14 of the 20 member countries. Usage ranged from just 22% in the Netherlands to 67% in Malta, and exceeded 60% in Slovenia, Austria, and Italy.

Guillaume Lepecq, chair of CashEssentials, noted that countries with strong historical ties to cash, including Germany, Austria, and Italy, continue to rely on physical currency. “Cash remains deeply embedded in daily transactions due to long-standing trust in physical currency, historical experiences with banking crises, privacy concerns, and resistance to digital tracking,” he said.

While cash dominates in transaction numbers, its share by value is smaller, representing 39% of total payments. Cards account for the same 39% of transactions but a higher 45% of payment value. Use of phones and smartwatches for shopping is also on the rise, reflecting growing adoption of digital solutions.

Professor Olive McCarthy from University College Cork pointed out that variations in cash use across countries stem from social, economic, and cultural differences. She highlighted the Netherlands and Finland as examples. In the Netherlands, only 79% of businesses accept cash, and acceptance in cafés and restaurants has fallen from 98% in 2021 to 85% in 2024. In Finland, just 8% of small and medium-sized enterprises prefer cash payments, reflecting high levels of digital adoption.

The ECB survey underscores a broader shift toward electronic payments, but it also shows that cash remains relevant in everyday transactions across much of Europe, especially where historical, cultural, and privacy factors play a role.