With rising costs and uncertainty around international trade impacting the shape of UK businesses, many small businesses are looking to adapt to new technologies.
New data* from VistaPrint, the leading print and design partner for small businesses, reveals that 1 in 4 (25%) small businesses have used cryptocurrencies to help support business growth, increasing to 3 in 5 (63%) for small business owners with 10-49 employees.
The adoption of cryptocurrencies by small business owners is largely driven by an appetite to provide more payment options to grow customers. 1 in 2 (49%) UK small businesses have accepted or are accepting cryptocurrencies as a form of payment, with almost a third (29%) crediting crypto for enabling faster transactions, most notably for international payments (28%).
Despite market volatility, confidence in cryptocurrencies is high (70%) amongst small business owners with 10-49 employees. Confidence waivers slightly for small businesses with 1-9 employees (39%), who tend to be less risk-averse.
More than a third (36%) of small business owners have invested in the past or are currently investing their excess cash flows into cryptocurrencies to boost their business returns. With markets unsteady, 30% of small business owners are choosing to invest in cryptocurrencies over more traditional investment options such as bonds and stocks, with this figure almost doubling (57%) for small business owners with 10-49 employees.
With high prospects of business growth, the number of small business owners using cryptocurrencies is expected to rise, with 1 in 2 expected to be a crypto-enabled business within the next 12 to 24 months. This increases to almost 70% (67%) when looking at adoption over the next five years. But, not all small businesses are ready for the change.
The greatest concerns around cryptocurrencies for small business owners include a lack of knowledge (38%), followed by market volatility (33%) and uncertainty of regulations (30%). Calls for greater transparency and clearer regulation on cryptocurrencies are encouraged by small businesses who think the government could do more to support by providing more information (54%) and create more incentives (45%) to help improve the transition to cryptocurrencies.
Sabine Levellier, VP of Marketing at VistaPrint, said: “Technology has been transforming the way we do businesses for years, and it shows no signs of slowing anytime soon. While they may not be the right choice for all small businesses, some feel that cryptocurrencies offer a way to help streamline payments, reduce transaction costs and reach more customers by unlocking new opportunities for growth and build confidence to invest in their businesses and increase revenues.”
*Research among a nationally representative sample of 500 small business owners (1 – 49 employees) by Censuswide in April 2025.