New data from the Polimi Observatory reveals how Italy’s cryptocurrency adoption is evolving compared to other major European markets.
Italian crypto holders and market penetration
In Italy, 2.8 million According to , crypto asset holders represent 7% of the population. Blockchain and Web3 Observatory of Politecnico di Milano. However, this penetration rate remains low compared to other European countries. France At 9%, Germany at 11%, and Spain At 14%.
Additionally, 11% of Italian consumers say they are interested in purchasing crypto assets in the future. That said, more than half of these potential investors are currently not using any other financial products, suggesting that digital assets could be their first entry point into the world of investing.
Investor profile and access to financial markets
It is important to note that many interested Italians have never been exposed to traditional products such as stocks, bonds or funds. However, it also shows how crypto assets It can serve as a gateway to broader financial education and participation, especially for young and underserved populations.
Furthermore, this pattern could change the way banks, fintech platforms, and asset managers design their services. As a result, we may increasingly integrate more classical instruments with digital assets to attract new customers.
Blockchain projects and sector trends around the world
After many years of experimentation, 2025 Confirmed growth prospects for blockchain and Web3 technologies. The report states: financial sector is now entering a period of maturity, supported by international regulatory developments and a clearer supervisory framework.
According to research, 378 In 2025, new blockchain projects will be recorded around the world; 27% However, growth rates are not evenly distributed across industries. Remarkably, 73% of these initiatives concern the financial sector, confirming it as the main driver of development.
Stablecoins and tokenization will be key growth drivers
Additionally, expanding stablecoins is extremely important. At the end of 2025, the company’s market capitalization reached the total $310 billionrecorded a 50% increase compared to the previous year. That said, this segment remains highly sensitive to regulatory changes and evolving payment use cases.
In parallel, many projects have focused on: Asset tokenizationespecially financial products. Although many of these initiatives are still largely experimental, they aim to bring traditional securities and new types of value on-chain to improve efficiency, transparency, and settlement times.
Web3 Financial sector and its impact on Italy
The authors of this study emphasize that: web 3 The financial ecosystem is moving from a pilot phase to a more structured deployment. However, risks related to technology, regulation, and market implementation remain, particularly in jurisdictions where frameworks are still evolving.
For Italy, the combination of 2.8 million crypto holders and a strong pipeline of global blockchain initiatives could open up new opportunities. In this context, Introduction of cryptocurrency in Italy It will depend on how institutions, regulators and service providers respond to increased interest in retailers and innovations such as stablecoins and asset tokenization.
In summary, Politecnico di Milano data has been updated as follows: January 22, 2026we can see that although Italy still lags behind some European countries in terms of penetration, it has a significant size of users and potential investors. Furthermore, by 2025 there will be 378 blockchain projects worldwide, the stablecoin market capitalization will reach $310 billion, and the broader Web3 and financial landscape is expected to grow further.
