The State and Future of Finance: American Perspective

A new national, longitudinal study from DeFi Education Foundation (DEF), conducted by Ipsos on KnowledgePanel provides timely insights into how Americans view the state of the existing U.S. financial system and their feelings about frontier technologies, like crypto, decentralized finance (DeFi), and AI.

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A majority of Americans want greater control of their money and personal data

19%

Only about 1 in 5 Americans (19%) believe the U.S. financial system is secure.

63%

Nearly 2 in 3 (63%) of Americans say the financial system needs an upgrade to combat emerging threats.

54%

More than half of Americans (54%) worry financial institutions are not adequately prepared to protect their personal information against threats from AI.

A majority of Americans do not believe the U.S. system is ready to combat AI-era threats

80%

80% of Americans say changes are needed in the existing financial system to give people more control over their personal data.

66%

Two in three Americans (66%) want access to their money at all times.

49%

Only about half (49%) of Americans feel they have personal control over their financial assets.

74%

Nearly 3 in 4 Americans (74%) say financial privacy is important to them.

62%

62% of Americans would prefer to keep their personal information private when engaging in financial transactions.

7%

Fewer than 1 in 10 Americans (7%) have complete trust in regional or community banks.

Crypto usage is growing faster than understanding, and DeFi’s draw for everyday finance is growing

22%

More than 1 in 5 Americans (22%) have now owned or used crypto, up from fewer than 1 in 5 (18%) in 2025.

40%

2 in 5 Americans (40%) say they are at least somewhat likely to try DeFi if it were available to them.

82%

Among those likely to try DeFi, more than 8 in 10 would use DeFi to save money (85%, up from 77% in 2025) or send money to friends or family in the U.S. (82%, up from 73%).

This survey was released 2 weeks before the 2026 U.S. midterm elections, and it is clear that there is support across both parties for the next generation of finance to be built in America: 1 in 3 Americans (35%) say it is important for candidates to support building the next generation of financial technology in the United States

It's important to note that crypto is largely bipartisan, with 1 in 6 Republicans and Democrats wanting to learn more about crypto (17% vs. 16%), and more than 1 in 5 Republicans and Democrats saying that they have owned or used crypto (24% vs. 21%)

Have you ever owned or used crypto?

Yes

50%

No

50%

Example Q

Yes

50%

No

50%

Have you owned or used crypto in the past 12 months?

Yes

50%

No

50%

Example Q

Yes

50%

No

50%

How likely are you to own or use crypto in the future?

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

Not at all likely

65%

Slightly likely

65%

Somewhat likely

65%

Very likely

65%

Extremely likely

65%

EXAMPLE Q

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

Not at all likely

65%

Slightly likely

65%

Somewhat likely

65%

Very likely

65%

Extremely likely

65%

How satisfied are you with the current financial system available to you (e.g., banks, investment services, payment apps)?

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

Not at all likely

65%

Slightly likely

65%

Somewhat likely

65%

Very likely

65%

Extremely likely

65%

EXAMPLE Q

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

Not at all likely

65%

Slightly likely

65%

Somewhat likely

65%

Very likely

65%

Extremely likely

65%

How interested would you be in learning more about Decentralized Finance (DeFi) technology?

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

Not at all likely

65%

Slightly likely

65%

Somewhat likely

65%

Very likely

65%

Extremely likely

65%

EXAMPLE Q

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

Not at all likely

65%

Slightly likely

65%

Somewhat likely

65%

Very likely

65%

Extremely likely

65%

Research Insights

METHODOLOGY

N=1,545 U.S. adults, Ipsos KnowledgePanel, September 8–16, 2026. Margin of error: ±2.8 percentage points. Data were weighted by gender by age, race/ethnicity, education, Census region, metropolitan status, household income and party ID. Trend comparisons are to a 2025 wave (N=1,321, August 18–21, 2025)

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