Polls show Americans trust banks over crypto firms on fraud, inclusion
In brief
- CoinDesk-commissioned May 2026 poll: 65% trusted banks over crypto on inclusion; 5% picked crypto.
- ABA/Morning Consult survey: 44% preferred banks for fraud protection; 1% favored crypto companies.
- Harris Poll: 42% would be more likely to use a bank offering crypto services.
- Visa survey: crypto adoption willingness rose from 36% to 56% with bank-level protections.
Trust gap on fraud and inclusion
The CoinDesk numbers don't stop there. The same survey found that 60% of respondents saw crypto as a mostly negative force on the economy.
Fraud protection is where the gap gets widest. An October 2026 survey by the American Bankers Association and Morning Consult found that 44% of adults preferred banks for fraud protection. Crypto companies were favored by 1%.
One percent.
Crypto Briefing also pointed to a survey showing that support for financial innovation in general ran higher than support for crypto specifically (the outlet didn't say who ran it).
Demand exists, but through banks
The data isn't purely negative for crypto. A Harris Poll conducted for the National Cryptocurrency Association, also in October 2026, found that 42% of respondents would be more likely to use a bank that offered crypto services, which the poll put at about 112 million people. It also found that 64% said their bank or financial advisor had never brought up crypto with them.
Protections matter. A 2026 Visa survey found that willingness to adopt crypto services rose from 36% to 56% when bank-level protections were included.
There's dissatisfaction with the status quo, too. A 2025 Ipsos poll with the DeFi Education Fund found that only 49% felt the current financial system met their needs, and 56% wanted full personal control over their finances. That same poll found just 18% of Americans had owned or used crypto.
Crypto Briefing's read
Crypto Briefing's analysis said banks might become the main on-ramp for the next wave of crypto users. That's the outlet's interpretation, not something the surveys measured directly.
It also said standalone crypto platforms competing head-on with banks faced a steep climb, citing the 1% fraud-trust and 5% inclusion figures as the reason.
Frequently asked questions
Do Americans trust banks or crypto companies more for fraud protection?
Banks, by a wide margin. An October 2026 survey by the American Bankers Association and Morning Consult found that 44% of adults preferred banks for fraud protection, while crypto companies were favored by just 1%.
Would more people use crypto if banks offered it?
A Harris Poll for the National Cryptocurrency Association found that 42% of respondents would be more likely to use a bank that offered crypto services, about 112 million people by the poll's estimate. A 2026 Visa survey found that willingness to adopt crypto services rose from 36% to 56% when bank-level protections were included.
