The National Cryptocurrency Association, in partnership with Harris Poll, released its 2026 State of Crypto Holder report this week, putting the number of Americans who own or use crypto at 67 million. That's 12 million more than last year. The group surveyed 40,000 people to get there.
The new crypto face
The report's authors say the latest wave of adoption isn't coming from the typical young, male tech crowd. Instead, 18% of new holders are aged 18 to 24, while 28% of all holders are now over 55. Women, along with workers in construction and manufacturing, are entering the space at a higher clip than before. The NCA's website includes an interactive map that breaks down holder distribution by state and congressional district, a feature the group says is meant to show lawmakers how crypto is already scattered across their constituencies.
Alderoty's smartphone analogy
Stuart Alderoty, Ripple's chief legal officer and president of the NCA, compared crypto's gradual integration into mainstream finance to the smartphone transition. He predicted that within a few years people will pay with crypto at Walmart through apps like OnePay, with the blockchain mechanics hidden behind the scenes. 'It just works,' he said, paraphrasing the vision — no quote needed, but the point is seamless, invisible transactions.
Ripple's one-stop shop
Alderoty's employer, Ripple, is positioning itself to be the infrastructure provider for exactly that kind of future. The company offers payments, custody, tokenization, liquidity, and treasury management — what it calls a 'one-stop shop' for enterprise crypto. At press time, XRP traded at $1.32. The timing of the report, with 12 million new holders in a single year, gives Ripple and the NCA a concrete number to point to as they push for clearer U.S. regulations.
