Transaction data from the OKX Card across Europe shows that crypto adoption is breaking into the mainstream and real users are spending more on lattes, than on luxury items. The data shows that crypto payments are actually made by everyday people for daily essentials and social spending, with groceries, dining and local retail leading usage patterns.
In the first month of use, the largest merchant category across Europe was grocery stores and supermarkets, accounting for 26% of all transactions. Meanwhile, restaurants represented 12%, online marketplaces accounted for 13%, and fast food and convenience stores also ranked among the top categories, underscoring the role of crypto payments in everyday expenses.
OKX Card usage reflects ordinary consumer behaviour rather than speculative or luxury-driven activity.
Everyday spending, including dining, dominates
Across Europe, food-related categories account for a substantial share of transactions:
- Groceries: 26%
- Restaurants and fast food: 18%
- Online shopping: 13%
More than one in four OKX Card payments across Europe are made in a supermarket, while a meaningful share is spent in restaurants, cafés and takeaway outlets. The data indicates that crypto payments are moving beyond niche usage and into routine consumer and social behaviour across Europe.
“There’s a long-standing stereotype that crypto users are all early adopters and tech nerds, and their spending is about luxury splurges, but what we’re seeing with the OKX Card is very different,” comments Erald Ghoos, CEO of OKX Europe. “Across Europe, normal people are using crypto for everyday purchases. It’s being used as a default payment option at supermarkets, bakeries and takeaway counters every day. When crypto pays for lunch, payment adoption is real.”
Travel emerges as a higher-value use case
Travel-related crypto spending on OKX Card accounts for more than a tenth (11%) of total transaction volume in Europe. However, the Netherlands stands out in particular, where travel accounts for roughly 20% of crypto spend reflecting strong holiday and accommodation bookings. Germany and Poland are both around 11%, while France is much lower at approximately 3%.
Although travel does not rank among the most frequent transaction categories, its higher average ticket size means it represents a significant share of total spend. While all the major online booking platforms are represented in the data, we can also see that a handful of OKX Card users in Europe have treated themselves to Disney holidays thanks to crypto.
OKX Card is an ideal payments card for exploring Europe, with no transaction fees, no FX fees, and a low 0.1% market spread when converting stablecoins to Euro. OKX Card is accepted anywhere that accepts Mastercard.
Distinct national dining and retail patterns
While groceries lead overall, national differences reveal how crypto payments reflect local culture.
France: boulangeries and café culture
In France, 5% of all OKX Card transactions are in bakeries, compared with 2% across Europe. Nearly one in twenty French OKX Card transactions take place in a bakery.
Restaurants and fast food also feature prominently, reinforcing the importance of dining and café culture in France. These spending habits suggest strong adoption in small, physical retail and hospitality settings, with the OKX Card used in boulangeries, cafés and everyday dining environments.
Germany: ecommerce and structured dining
Germany shows the highest online marketplace concentration in the dataset. 30% of all German OKX Card transactions occur on online marketplaces, more than double the 13% EEA average.
Restaurants, groceries and fast food remain significant categories combined (27%), but Germans are spending more frequently on ecommerce platforms.
Netherlands: supermarkets and social spending
The Netherlands records the highest grocery share in Europe. More than a third (37%) of Dutch OKX Card transactions occur in supermarkets, compared with just over a quarter (26%) across Europe.
Restaurants and fast food also maintain a meaningful presence, indicating that crypto payments are used both for household shopping and social dining.
Poland: convenience, fuel and everyday food
Poland shows elevated everyday retail and mobility usage. 16% of transactions occur in convenience stores, compared with 7% across Europe. Almost one in ten (9%) Polish users are paying in crypto at fuel stations, versus 6% across Europe.
Restaurants and fast food are also among the leading categories, reinforcing the role of crypto payments in everyday spending.
About OKX
OKX is a fintech company on a mission to modernize money and markets. Today it is trusted by more than 120 million people around the world who use OKX services to invest, transact and trade digital assets across a number of financial instruments including spot, futures, and decentralized markets. As one of the world’s largest platforms, OKX is known for its exchange, wallet, and onchain ecosystem used by everyday people and large institutions.
OKX maintains regional offices in the United States, Europe, UAE and Singapore with a number of local offices across São Paulo, Hong Kong, the Republic of Türkiye, and Australia. Over the past several years, it has built one of the world’s most comprehensive regulatory compliant, licensed fintech companies.
OKX is steadfastly committed to transparency and security and publishes Proof of Reserves reports on a monthly basis to ensure customer funds are always protected and available to people. To learn more about OKX, download our app or visit: okx.com.