Hundreds of wealthy investors are switching to crypto payments when purchasing European real estate

Hundreds of wealthy investors are now actively using cryptocurrency as a tool for purchasing real estate in leading European countries. According to the crypto payment platform Brighty, licensed in Lithuania, this trend is gaining momentum much faster than expected a year ago when such a service was just launching.

The number of crypto millionaires worldwide shows unprecedented growth — in 2025, their number increased by 40% over twelve months, reaching 241,700 people. This expansion of the wealthy investor base directly impacts the demand for alternative financial services, including asset acquisitions through digital payment channels.

Brighty: from hundreds of deals to active growth

Brighty, founded by former leading backend engineer of the European fintech company Revolut, Mykola Denysenko, has sparked a revolution in how clients can pay for real estate. The platform has already completed over 100 deals for its clients, with many additional contracts in the final stages.

“Our client base is actively growing — from 100 to 150 wealthy individuals who regularly use our services,” explained Denysenko. The geography of deals covers key investment centers: the United Kingdom, France, Malta, Cyprus, and Andorra.

Transaction volumes range from about $500,000 to $2.5 million USD, with an average monthly service usage of $50,000 per client. These figures reflect investors’ serious intentions and readiness for large-scale operations through crypto channels.

How crypto assets accelerate real estate transactions

Traditional banking systems relying on the international SWIFT network (more than 11,000 banks) often hinder crypto transactions. In response to such resistance, Brighty proposed an alternative — direct transfer of digital assets into local currencies via local transfer channels.

This solution reduces delays and minimizes administrative barriers typical of traditional interbank transfers. The system works as follows: the client sends crypto assets, the platform conducts the necessary verification of the origin of funds using specialized blockchain analytics tools (including Elliptic), and then the funds are transferred directly to the seller’s account or the client’s account for further settlement.

“The main thing is to ensure that the investor legally obtained these assets. We use advanced analytical tools to assess relevant crypto wallets,” Denysenko told CoinDesk. Banks often remain skeptical of crypto assets even when they are obtained transparently. But Brighty addresses this issue through detailed investigation of the origin of funds.

European investors prefer EURC over USDC

The most interesting discovery in Brighty’s operational practice is the shift in preferences among European clients when choosing stablecoins. Previously, the main instrument was USDC from Circle. However, recent quarterly data shows a clear preference for the European stablecoin EURC.

The reason is simple — savings on conversion costs. When an investor pays in USDC, there are expenses for converting from US dollars to euros. The average size of transactions secured in euros increased from €15,785 (about $18,385 USD) in the third quarter to €59,894 (approximately $69,762 USD) in the fourth quarter.

This dynamic growth of 280% indicates that wealthy clients are actively switching to EURC, avoiding unnecessary exchange costs and speeding up settlement processes. “Our clients have started to widely use euro-stablecoins because it’s simply more logical — you receive assets in euros, buy real estate in euros, and there’s no point in intermediate conversion,” Denysenko explained.

Cryptocurrency and real estate: a new norm for the wealthy

The trend shows how global wealth management practices are evolving in the digital age. For wealthy investors, purchasing real estate through cryptocurrency is becoming part of a portfolio risk reduction strategy — similar to traditional finance, where assets are allocated across different classes to optimize profitability and security.

Cryptocurrency emerges as a truly competitive alternative in segments where traditional banking systems refuse to serve wealthy clients’ transactions. Brighty’s communication with real estate agencies and the property industry clearly demonstrates that the industry is ready to overcome traditional barriers. “Our clients simply want to protect and optimize their assets by allocating part of their capital to real estate. Crypto gives them the flexibility and speed that banks cannot provide,” summed up Denysenko.

In the future, we can expect these trends to strengthen and for competitive platforms to emerge, offering similar services in other jurisdictions and for other asset classes. Hundreds of wealthy investors who have already adopted crypto payments are becoming pioneers of a new financial order.