Even after years of buzz, the use of cryptocurrency has remained fairly stable in the United States. Today, about one-in-five U.S. adults (19%) say they’ve invested in or used a cryptocurrency – about on par with the 16% who said this in 2021.

But for the first time, there is a partisan gap in use. Republicans’ crypto use has ticked up from 16% in 2021 to 22% today, and they are now more likely than Democrats to say they’ve used it, according to a Pew Research Center survey conducted in January 2026.

Crypto has become part of the national political conversation in recent years. The Trump administration has set out to make America the “crypto capital of the world,” including steps to allow crypto firms to become banks.

Who uses cryptocurrency?

Some of the biggest demographic differences in cryptocurrency use are by gender, age and income.

By gender and age

As was true in past surveys, young men stand out for their use of crypto:

• 38% of men ages 18 to 29 say they have ever invested in, traded or used cryptocurrency, compared with 15% of women in the same age range.
• 40% of men ages 30 to 49 have done this, compared with 17% of women in this age group.

Crypto use among men and women ages 30 to 49 has gone up since 2021. And men 50 and older are also more likely to have ever used crypto today than in 2021.

By income

About one-in-four adults in upper-income households (27%) have invested in or used crypto, up from 23% in 2024 and 17% in 2021.

By comparison, 20% of middle-income Americans have used crypto, up slightly from 17% in 2021. Use has not changed among lower-income Americans (16% this year vs. 15% in 2021).

By party

Republicans are now more likely than Democrats to have invested in, traded or used crypto (22% vs. 17%). Before this year, Republicans and Republican-leaning independents were as likely as Democrats and Democratic leaners to say they’d done so. But GOP crypto use has grown from 16% in 2021 to 22% now, while Democrats’ use has held steady at 17%.

By race and ethnicity

A quarter of Asian adults say they have ever invested in, traded or used crypto – which is similar to Black and Hispanic adults. White adults remain less likely to be crypto users than Asian adults but are on par with Black and Hispanic adults for the first time. This is partially due to crypto use among White Americans ticking up from 13% in 2021 to 18% today.

For more about Americans and cryptocurrency, read our 2024 analysis, which has information on:

Note: Here are the questions used for this analysis, the topline and the survey methodology.

Trump Says the Deal Is ‘Almost Complete’

The rally followed remarks in which Trump framed the agreement as a near-certainty and signaled he would push it through with or without Israel’s full cooperation. Speaking about Netanyahu, the president said the Israeli leader will have “no choice” but to sign because, in his telling, he “calls the shots.”

Trump described the deal as “almost complete” and said he expected an announcement at the start of the new business week, with traders treating the language as a firmer commitment than the ceasefire speculation that has come and gone for months, and risk assets reacted within hours.

Analysts first flagged the price reaction, noting bitcoin’s 5% jump to $64,000 came directly on the back of the comments, indicating that the market read the statement less as a rumor and more as a direct signal that Washington intends to close the matter regardless of how Jerusalem responds.

A Bounce off the 2026 Low

The surge marked a sharp turn from the prior week as Bitcoin touched an intraday low near $59,100 on June 5, its weakest level since February (during what Bitcoin.com News described as the worst week of 2026 for the asset). At the lows, more than half of all BTC sat in unrealized loss, a condition that has historically lined up with major market bottoms.

Short-term chart readings had already pointed to an oversold market primed for a snapback, leaving the rally needing only a catalyst. The geopolitical headline supplied it. Even after the move, bitcoin remained roughly $18,000 below the $82,000 record it set in mid-May, underscoring how much ground the recent decline erased.

The recovery offered relief to leveraged traders after a brutal stretch of forced selling earlier in the month. Hundreds of thousands of positions were wiped out as the price slid, and a swift reversal of that kind often triggers a wave of short liquidations that amplifies the upside.

Geopolitics Back in the Driver’s Seat

Bitcoin’s sensitivity to Middle East headlines has been one of 2026’s defining patterns given that earlier in the year, the digital currency’s topped $77,000 as Trump weighed his options on Iran, while prediction-market wagers on a peace deal swelled into the hundreds of millions of dollars. De-escalation signals have repeatedly lifted risk appetite, and threats of conflict have pulled it back down.

Crypto tends to trade as a high-beta risk asset in these episodes, selling off harder than equities when fear spikes and rallying faster when it eases. That makes bitcoin an unusually sensitive barometer of how traders price the odds of war or peace, even when the headlines have no direct link to digital assets.

The same tensions had been a drag in recent weeks as higher oil prices tied to the standoff have fed inflation concerns and complicated the Federal Reserve’s rate path, with some officials declining to rule out further hikes and expected cuts being pushed back. That backdrop helped drag crypto lower before Sunday’s rebound.

Analysts caution that headline-driven rallies can fade quickly and only a confirmed agreement could sustain the move. Collapse in talks or a fresh exchange of fire risks sending the price back toward its recent floor. The Fed’s stance remains a second swing factor that could cap any extended recovery.

Three US citizens are in federal custody after the FBI arrested them on charges of conspiring to provide material support to ISIS, the designated foreign terrorist organization. The suspects allegedly attempted to use cryptocurrency to purchase weapons, including RPGs and drones, intended for attacks on US servicemembers overseas.

The arrests, carried out on June 5 and 6, mark another instance of law enforcement intercepting crypto-funded terrorism plots before they can materialize. The trio collectively transferred over $2,000 to an individual they believed was affiliated with ISIS, though they were stopped before any weapons purchases went through.

Who was arrested and what they’re accused of

The three defendants are Bisaam Ghafoor, 21, from Leawood, Kansas; Elias Shamsaldeen, 21, from Porterville, California; and Bereen Dzayee, 25, from Lakeside, California. All three face federal charges in the District of Kansas for conspiring to provide material support to terrorism.

According to the Department of Justice complaint, the suspects did more than just move money. They allegedly discussed violent attacks, pledged allegiance to ISIS, and actively sought to acquire military-grade hardware using digital assets. The weapons wish list reportedly included rocket-propelled grenades and drones, with the intended targets being US military personnel stationed abroad.

Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche framed the arrests as evidence of the government’s ongoing commitment to dismantling terrorist networks.

Crypto and terrorism financing: a persistent tension

No specific cryptocurrencies, tokens, or exchanges were identified in connection with the case. In previous terrorism financing cases involving crypto, prosecutors have sometimes named the platforms used, leading to increased regulatory scrutiny on those services.

The modest dollar amount involved, just over $2,000 split among three people, also distinguishes this case from larger-scale terrorism financing operations. The US Treasury’s Office of Terrorism and Financial Intelligence has previously targeted networks moving hundreds of thousands or even millions of dollars in crypto to militant groups.

What this means for crypto investors

The direct market impact of this particular case is effectively zero. The amount of money involved was negligible by any market standard, no specific tokens or platforms were implicated, and the plot was disrupted before it could produce any operational outcome.