DeFi Trust Trails Traditional Banks in US Ipsos Study
A new national survey shows that only 5% of Americans express high trust in decentralized platforms, compared to 42% for large national banks.
A new national study conducted by Ipsos for the DeFi Education Foundation has found that traditional banking institutions hold a substantial trust advantage over decentralized finance platforms among United States adults. According to CryptoNews, the survey of 1,545 Americans revealed that just 5% of respondents express high trust in decentralized platforms, while 42% report complete or high trust in large national banks.
The findings highlight a persistent gap in institutional confidence and user familiarity. While regional or community banks garnered 41% high trust and credit unions reached 48%, decentralized platforms faced significant skepticism, with 73% of respondents reporting little or no trust in platforms allowing users to retain control of their funds.
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Familiarity and Privacy Priorities
Familiarity with decentralized finance remains low, with only 2% of respondents describing themselves as extremely or very familiar with DeFi, compared to 9% for crypto broadly and 5% for stablecoins. Another 92% stated they were unfamiliar or not very familiar with the sector.
Despite low familiarity, privacy emerged as a major priority. Financial privacy mattered to 74% of Americans, and 62% expressed a preference for keeping transaction-related personal information private. Furthermore, 40% of respondents indicated they were at least somewhat likely to try DeFi after reviewing its core features, with saving money cited as a potential use by 85% of those interested participants.
Key facts
- The Ipsos study surveyed 1,545 US adults between September 8 and September 16, 2026.
- Complete or high trust stood at 42% for large national banks and 5% for decentralized platforms.
- Lifetime crypto ownership or use reached 22%, while past-year participation remained flat at 13%.
- Financial privacy was important to 74% of respondents, with 62% preferring to keep transaction data private.
- Only 2% of respondents described themselves as extremely or very familiar with DeFi.
Source: crypto.news
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