A survey conducted by the National Cryptocurrency Association (NCA) and The Harris Poll has found that 42% of U.S. adults would view favorably banks that offer cryptocurrency services. The report, published October 19, also found that 35% of respondents said they would be more likely to open an account with such a bank, while 36% indicated they would use it for more of their financial needs.

At the same time, 64% of respondents said their bank or financial adviser had never discussed cryptocurrency with them — a gap the survey highlights between growing consumer interest and the guidance currently provided by mainstream financial institutions. Read alongside the headline numbers, the data points to a large pool of consumers open to crypto conversations that their banks and advisers have largely not initiated.

The NCA underscored the finding in a post on X:

Would you be more likely to bank somewhere that offers access to crypto? 🏦 About 112 million Americans say they would. Yet about 168 million say no one at their bank, credit union, or advisor's office has brought it up yet. Consumers are ready for that conversation. Our new… pic.twitter.com/vV552EOP2V

— National Cryptocurrency Association (@NatCryptoAssoc) October 19, 2026

Crypto Services Could Attract Customers

The survey polled more than 2,000 U.S. adults and found that 43% did not know whether their bank offered crypto services at all.

Despite that uncertainty, NCA President Stuart Alderoty said: "The demand is sitting in front of these institutions, but most are missing the opportunity and haven't even started the conversation."

Respondents were also split on which crypto products they would prefer: 22% expressed interest in crypto exchange-traded funds (ETFs), another 22% preferred buying and holding digital assets directly, and 19% favored tokenized stocks, bonds and real estate. The near-even spread across fund products, direct ownership and tokenized traditional assets suggests there is no single offering banks could roll out to capture that interest, and that product selection would itself be a strategic question.

Banks Face Regulatory Challenges

The survey found that 59% of respondents were comfortable having their main bank hold cryptocurrency for them. Additionally, 60% expected most U.S. banks to offer crypto services within a decade, a share that rose to 74% among adults aged 18 to 34 — a cohort that will remain in its core banking years throughout that horizon.

However, regulatory questions remain. Community banks have challenged an Office of the Comptroller of the Currency rule easing the process for crypto firms to seek national trust bank charters, arguing that regulators must maintain adequate safeguards. The dispute centers on the charter pathway that determines which crypto-focused firms can operate under federal banking oversight, making it a key piece of the regulatory picture banks would weigh when deciding how — and whether — to serve the demand the survey describes.

Taken together, the results point to a widening divide between what American consumers say they want from their banks and the extent to which institutions — and their advisers — have engaged with the topic. How the charter challenge is resolved, and whether mainstream advisers begin closing the conversation gap, are the developments most likely to signal whether that divide narrows.