Everyday crypto use cases are closer than you think

How crypto is already powering payments, payroll and more. And how businesses can position themselves strongly.

Crypto isn’t just for the crypto-scenti, those in the crypto know — traders and tech bros, financial influencers and FOMO-haters. Crypto is going mainstream as a tool for everyday payments and services.

Everything from cross-border payments, remittances and e-commerce payments to treasury payments and freelancer payroll are now crypto-enabled. So much so, the crypto future is already here – just not evenly distributed.

We look at what’s happening with everyday crypto adoption and how can businesses prepare.

Crypto moves mainstream

Crypto adoption statistics vary by market, but the direction of travel is clear: the appetite for crypto is growing. In 2024, one-in-five respondents to a survey for Gemini, a crypto currency exchange, reported owning crypto. In 2025, that figure grew to nearly one-in-four, with half of Gen Z and Millennials globally invested in crypto.

The favourable attitude toward crypto is increasing confidence in ownership. Following the re-election of President Trump in November 2024, $244 billion was transacted in December 2024, a record for a single month, according to Chainalysis data.

The crypto ‘Trump bump’ is real. Nearly a quarter (23%) of those in the US who did not own crypto said President Trump launching a Strategic Bitcoin Reserve increased their confidence in the value of cryptocurrency. This sentiment was echoed in the UK and Singapore, where 21% and 19% of non-owners respectively said the same, the Gemini Global State of Crypto 2025 report found.

European Central Bank research bears out the increased interest in crypto. Nearly 10% of EU households on average own crypto assets, according to the November 2024 Consumer Expectations Survey. And an average of 10% of non-owners said they planned to buy crypto assets in 2025.

Everyday crypto in action

Just as crypto adoption varies market to market, so do crypto use cases. They’re informed by various demographic, cultural, economic, political and technological factors.

Here are 10 examples of everyday crypto use cases.

1. Cross-border payments & remittances

Traditional cross-border payments that rely on correspondent banking may be slow, expensive and opaque. Crypto offers a faster, cheaper, more transparent alternative. This particularly useful for global businesses needing to make collections from customers or pay staff overseas.

Examples: Ripple works with banks and fintechs to facilitate global settlement using its XRP Ledger. While Stellar uses partners or so-called ‘Anchors’ on its Blockchain-based network to move value and pay out in local fiat currencies.

2. E-commerce & retail payments

Crypto payments whether online or in-person offer lower fees, fewer chargebacks and access to a digital-first customer base globally. That’s especially compared to credit cards or for markets with limited banking infrastructure.

Currency devaluations in Nigeria and Venezuela have prompted increased crypto usage locally. This is to counteract soaring inflation, low wages, foreign currency shortages and the difficulties of keeping money in a bank account.

More retail outlets from small family businesses to larger national chains are accepting crypto payments via digital wallet platforms, such as Binance and Airtm, to help them compete against rivals.

3. iGaming payments

Local payment methods are popular in the iGaming sector, as they are in almost every online sector, because there’s no global way to pay. iGaming operators are increasingly adding crypto to their payments mix as they are what players know, trust and like.

Inpay makes it easy to get set up and allow players to funds their iGaming accounts in crypto. Firstly, whitelist your wallet. Next, complete a boarding form. Thirdly, receive a unique deposit address for funding. And finally, start sending and receiving crypto funds.

4. B2B payments

Every business needs to make and receive payments – and increasingly that’s happening cross-border. Crypto offers global disbursements, potentially faster and cheaper than international wires. And enables B2B organizations to appeal and pay out to recipients worldwide with or without bank accounts.

Examples: Paypal, EY and Google Cloud use Coinbase for B2B payments. An increasing number of Fortune 500 companies are exploring crypto payments, moving from proof-of-concept exploration to full adoption, according to a Coinbase blog.

5. Streaming & micropayments

Real-time payments in small amounts are unfeasible with credit cards or wires. The process of paying is clunky for consumers, often because the same enterprise-level security is applied, regardless of transaction value. While accepting low-value payments is prohibitively expensive for sellers. Crypto could allow real-time programmable money.

Examples: SatoshiPay enables microtransactions for web content. Superfluid and Zebec enable on-chain subscriptions and streaming.

6. Treasury management

Crypto isn’t just for consumers. Businesses are also using it to pay suppliers and for treasury/cash management. For high-value global transactions, crypto can simplify settlement, increase transparency and diversify liquidity options.

Examples: Tesla has held Bitcoin on its balance sheet. Some Web 3.0 companies pay suppliers and service providers in stablecoins, such as USDC or USDT.

7. Digital goods & NFTs

Crypto makes buying, owning and re-selling assets easier. That’s true for digital products, such as software, content or collectibles, but also for tokenized real-world assets (NFTs). Crypto integrates seamlessly with digital wallets, enabling global reach, true on-chain ownership and new revenue models.

Examples: Gaming platforms like Axie Infinity facilitate in-game purchases using native tokens. OpenSea and Rarible allow users to purchase NFTs with supported tokens.

8. Paying freelancers

Many crypto-native and global businesses paying freelance, gig or salaried workers are turning to crypto for faster global disbursement, transparent payment trails and lower FX fees.

Examples: Platforms such as Bitwage and Deel support crypto payroll. While some athletes and influencers have opted to receive salaries or compensation in Bitcoin.

9. Ticketing & events

Crypto payment combined with tokenized tickets helps combat ticket fraud and enables programmable resale rules for customers worldwide.

Examples: Live Nation has explored crypto payments and NFT ticketing. UEFA used blockchain technology to issue tickets to football fans for the 2020 European Championship.

10. Recurring payments & subscriptions

On-chain subscriptions for services and memberships lean into the programmable nature of crypto via smart contracts. This is compatible with Web 3.0 apps and facilitates automated, decentralized billing globally, without the hassle of expired or updated card details.

Examples: Loop Crypto and Superfluid are building a crypto recurring payments infrastructure.

Global payments, built for crypto

So, how do businesses position themselves to take advantage of crypto opportunities? Unless you have the appetite, budget, time and resource to build your own crypto payment solution, you’ll likely have to partner to achieve this.

When considering prospective partners, consider the capabilities and capacity of their platform today and the development roadmap for the future.

Look into how your partner’s technology is built, which helps determine how quick and easy it is to customise, launch, integrate with other third parties and more.

What add-ons are available to enhance your experience and that of your end customers? These include risk management services and data insights.

Finally, examine what your partner can offer around market insight, industry trends, navigating compliance, implementation best practice and more to make the collaboration a success.