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Nordics + Baltics on blockchain, crypto adoption and what’s next

Stay ahead building the Nordic and Baltic digital asset ecosystem and communities

Author

Morten Myrstad
April 01, 2026

Welcome to a new edition of Next by Kaupr!

Welcome to the first edition of Next by Kaupr in a while.

Next by Kaupr is a monthly industry and community briefing for professionals and builders in the Nordics and Baltics who are building digital finance, blockchain, and Web3 solutions.

As part of the Kaupr ecosystem, we have refined the positioning of Next by Kaupr alongside our other newsletters, Kaupr Today and Future of Finance. Next now has a clear, distinct role: focused on how to build the industry and drive real adoption – not just talk about it. We focus on the associations, businesses, and communities that are shaping the Nordic and Baltic ecosystem, and on the local and regional players who are moving the needle on products, infrastructure, regulation, collaboration and events.

Next is where you follow how the industry is evolving on the ground – through companies, communities, policy work, and public debate across the Nordics and Baltics.

This edition is larger than we plan for going forward — think of it as a special double edition covering key developments across the whole of Q1. It brings together the most important moves in blockchain, crypto adoption and infrastructure across the Nordics and Baltics from January through March.

Topics in this edition:

  • Sweden’s blockchain industry – new report, new signals

  • Crypto Adoption Week and Nordic users

  • Baltic Crypto Adoption

  • Diversity in Crypto in the Nordics

  • Bitcoin communities and public debate

  • Launch of Kaupr TV

Have a good read, and welcome to new editions after Easter!

Morten

Morten Myrstad

Sweden’s blockchain industry – new report, new signals

Sweden is sending new signals about its blockchain industry. A fresh report highlights growing activity in blockchain infrastructure, enterprise adoption and policy engagement, reinforcing Sweden’s role as one of the Nordics’ key nodes in the broader European ecosystem.

The report points to:

  • Increased interest from traditional finance and tech companies in blockchain-based solutions

  • Stronger collaboration between startups, universities and public-sector actors

  • A more mature regulatory conversation as MiCA is implemented across the EU

Sweden’s blockchain scene is moving from early experimentation toward scaled, real-world use cases, especially in payments, identity and data infrastructure.

In this edition, we zoom in on Sweden’s blockchain industry through the launch of Blockchain Sweden’s Industry Report 2025. The stories from Stockholm’s report event capture how the ecosystem is evolving, how banks and regulators shape the climate, and why perception still lags behind real use cases.

Fewer blockchain firms plan to leave Sweden

Fewer Swedish blockchain companies are now considering moving abroad, even though many still face a tougher market and strained relations with banks and regulators.

Growing curiosity – but myths still dominate

Interest in blockchains is growing across finance, academia and politics in Sweden, but the wider public is still stuck in old myths about opacity, crime and “crypto = money only”.

Interview: Sweden’s blockchain sector at a crossroads

In a launch‑day interview, Pehr Granfalk and Morten Myrstad discuss how Sweden’s blockchain sector is evolving, where interest is growing and how persistent myths still affect banking access.

Nordic Crypto Adoption Week and Nordic usage

Nordic Crypto Adoption Week is a wrap, but all the content and insights have been turned into an evergreen hub for future reference. The week featured five live events, 10 panels and 40 speakers from across the Nordics, sharing data, experiences and forward-looking use cases on how 2.5 million crypto owners are reshaping digital finance in the region.

Crypto Adoption Week brought renewed attention to how users in the Nordics interact with digital assets. The event highlighted:

  • Growing retail interest in Bitcoin and Ethereum as long-term holdings

  • Increased use of custodial and self-custody solutions

  • A user base that is technically savvy but still highly sensitive to security, usability and trust

Crypto adoption in the Nordic region increases — 2.5 million adults own cryptocurrency

Crypto ownership in the Nordics continues to grow for the second year in a row, driven by strong growth in Sweden, steady gains in Denmark and solid long-term interest across the region, even as Finland and Norway see a decline.

Over 1.1 million Swedes own crypto — crypto ownership in Sweden nearly doubled

The share of Swedes who own cryptocurrency has risen from 7.4% to 13.4% in one year, with many choosing regulated ETP products on platforms like Avanza and Nordnet instead of dedicated crypto exchanges.

Crypto still more important than stocks among young Norwegians

Young Norwegians still prefer cryptocurrency over traditional stocks even though ownership has edged down slightly; Norway remains at the top in the Nordics for crypto adoption, with local platforms playing a key role in making crypto safer and more accessible.

More young Danes own crypto than stocks — adoption continues upward

More Danes under 40 now own cryptocurrency than own stocks via a trading platform, signaling a generational shift where digital assets are taking up more space than traditional equity investments.

Nearly 800,000 Finns have been into crypto — long-term interest stays strong despite downturn

While the share of Finns who own crypto has fallen from 11% to 8.2%, nearly 17.4% of the population either own or have owned crypto, showing that long-term interest remains strong even after the market downturn.

All session recordings and reports available in one hub


All live events and panels from Nordic Crypto Adoption Week are now available as full video recordings on the evergreen hub, so you can rewatch any session or discover talks you missed. All articles and navigation are available in Norwegian, Swedish, Danish and English, while video recordings and reports are in English.

Baltic Crypto Adoption Week, 7.-9. April 2026

The Baltics — Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania — continue to be a dynamic part of the Northern European crypto landscape.

The region is known for:

  • A strong fintech and blockchain startup ecosystem

  • Early regulatory engagement and licenses in several jurisdictions

  • Cross-border activity between the Baltics, Nordics and the rest of the EU

Crypto adoption in the Baltics is driven by a mix of tech-savvy retail users, international crypto businesses setting up operations, and local financial institutions exploring digital asset services. As MiCA is implemented, the region is likely to see further consolidation and professionalization of the market.

Baltic Crypto Adoption Week runs for the first time 7–9 April, with separate live sessions for Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania plus a joint Baltic session that for the first time maps cryptocurrency usage across all three countries simultaneously. The surveys use the same methodology as the Nordic Crypto Adoption Survey, polling 1,000 representative adults in each country on their relationship with crypto and trading.

New cryptocurrency adoption figures for the Baltic region will be unveiled

New data on cryptocurrency adoption in the Baltics will be presented during Baltic Crypto Adoption Week, revealing ownership levels, demographic trends and emerging use cases across Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. This gives Nordics-focused investors, exchanges, platforms and regulators their first clean, comparable data set on Baltics adoption – a key expansion market next door to the Nordics – and sets up a recurring annual benchmark as crypto penetration grows in the region.

Live sessions for Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and a joint Baltic session

Baltic Crypto Adoption Week features four live-streamed events on LinkedIn and YouTube: Estonia Crypto Adoption, Lithuania Crypto Adoption, Latvia Crypto Adoption and a joint Baltic session. All sessions will be streamed live and later available as recordings.

Join on LinkedIn and YouTube:

Baltic Crypto Adoption Week landing page

Updates, news, reports, live streams and recordings from Baltic Crypto Adoption Week will be collected on a dedicated landing page as the week takes place.

Diversity in Crypto in the Nordics

Diversity in Crypto in the Nordics has become a yearly reference point, rallying companies and communities around making crypto and Web3 more inclusive.

The full 2026 event is now available as a recording, so you can watch sessions you missed or rewatch key talks.

Strong commitment to diversity in crypto

The Nordic community put diversity firmly on the agenda with “Diversity in Crypto in the Nordics”, a growing digital broadcast that gathered founders, community leaders and professionals from across the region.

The supporters behind “Diversity in Crypto in the Nordics”

A broad group of companies, organizations and projects now back “Diversity in Crypto in the Nordics”, signalling that inclusion is becoming a shared priority across exchanges, infrastructure providers, industry bodies, educators and dedicated diversity initiatives.

Bitcoin communities and public debate

Bitcoin communities across the Nordics are becoming more visible in public debate. These communities are organizing meetups, educational events and online discussions that blend technical depth with broader societal questions.

As awareness grows, the conversation is shifting from “What is Bitcoin?” to “What does Bitcoin mean for the Nordics?”

Bitcoin annual address held the day before Norway’s central-bank speech

Bitcoin Policy Institute Norway launched the Satoshi Nakamoto Annual Address at the National Library in Oslo, held the day before the central bank governor’s yearly speech, to discuss money, technology and society through a bitcoin lens.

Bitcoin launched its first own annual address in Oslo

In the first address, Sygnum’s Thomas Eichenberger argued that Bitcoin is evolving from collectible to store of value and money, and outlined how banks are gradually embedding Bitcoin into their product stack while it challenges central-bank money narratives.

Kaupr TV Live launched

Kaupr TV Live launched in Q1 2026, with the first studio broadcasts aired in January and February. The first season brings leading exchanges and platforms into the conversation, exploring how digital-asset infrastructure is evolving in and around the Nordics.

Watch the first two Kaupr TV Live shows

The first two studio broadcasts are now available on YouTube:

Watch all episodes on the Kaupr TV hub

All episodes from the first season, plus upcoming shows, are available on the Kaupr TV landing page, where you can watch live streams and recordings, read show notes and see the full schedule.

Watch here: Kaupr TV

Leading exchanges join as Kaupr TV partners

BTCX, Bybit, Coinmotion and K33 are joining as season partners for Kaupr TV Live, supporting new studio broadcasts that explore how exchanges, brokers and infrastructure players are reshaping access to digital assets in the Nordics. The first shows already aired in January and February, with more episodes coming in the new season.

Next in Next!

In the next edition of Next by Kaupr, we’ll look more closely at how different crypto exchanges and brokers are positioning themselves in the Nordics as MiCA is implemented. We’ll cover their strategic initiatives, compliance approaches and cross‑country launches, and what this means for users and the broader market in the region.

Thanks for reading the first edition of Next by Kaupr. We’re here to track how the Nordics and Baltics are shaping up as a hub for blockchain, digital assets and crypto infrastructure — with a focus on what’s next, not just what’s happening now.

If you want more updates like this, keep an eye on your inbox, explore news and insight on Kaupr.io and subscribe to Kaupr Today, a daily window into global signals & Nordic moves reshaping markets

See you in the next edition of Next by Kaupr!

Morten
Founder & Editor