If rebuilding retail confidence has become one of crypto’s biggest challenges, a new report may help explain why.

While banks, payment companies and some of the world’s largest corporations continue embracing blockchain technology, retail enthusiasm has cooled dramatically. The crypto market remains well below its late-2025 highs, while spot trading volumes on centralized exchanges have declined for two consecutive quarters, reflecting a slowdown in retail participation even as institutional adoption continues to accelerate.

That disconnect is becoming harder to ignore. As blockchain adoption gathers pace inside major financial institutions, many everyday investors still associate crypto less with innovation and more with scams, hacks…