A few years ago, most people didn't really know what crypto was. Some had heard the word, but that's about it. Now it's everywhere. You scroll through social media, and someone's talking about Bitcoin. You open Telegram, and there's a bot that pays in TON. Even people who never traded anything in their life suddenly have a wallet and a few coins.

According to recent stats, there are now over 650 million people worldwide who own some kind of cryptocurrency. That's around 8–12% of the аdult population on the planet. In the U.S. alone, it's about 65 million people. That's not some niche anymore — that's mainstream.

But here's the question: is crypto actually being used to pay for things? Or is it just sitting in wallets while people hope the price goes up?

Turns out, it's a bit of both. In some places, you really can walk into a store and pay with crypto. There was a story about McDonald's in Switzerland accepting Bitcoin and stablecoins. You could literally buy a Big Mac with your crypto wallet. But here's the thing — while that sounds futuristic and cool, it's not always practical. Bitcoin fees can easily hit a few dollars per transaction. If your burger costs five bucks and you're paying three just to send the payment... well, you get the idea.

That's why offline crypto payments are still pretty rare. But there are areas where they actually make a lot of sense. Take the UAE, for example. People there are buying real estate with crypto, paying for airline tickets, luxury cars, and more. When you're making big purchases, crypto becomes a real alternative. The speed, the lack of paperwork, the ability to send money internationally without a bank — that's where crypto shows its value.

Now, where crypto really works well is online. That's where the real adoption is happening. Around 13,000 to 15,000 businesses now accept crypto, and that number is growing fast. A lot of them are in digital services: hosting platforms, VPN providers, online marketing tools, i-gaming, social media growth services, even freelance platforms. If it's digital, chances are someone is accepting crypto.

Telegram has brought Toncoin into its ecosystem — now you can store TON, send it to friends in seconds, and even use the TON blockchain to build mini apps, all right inside the app. No banks, almost zero fees. It really feels like crypto is becoming part of everyday digital life.

Why are people actually choosing crypto? It's fast, works across borders, and cuts out the paperwork and banking delays. For freelancers and small businesses, it's just simpler — you can get paid from anywhere, without waiting days or dealing with banks. That's why crypto's catching on quickly in places like Southeast Asia, Latin America, and the Middle East — not because it's trendy, but because it solves real problems.

So what do you think — will we eventually be paying for lunch with crypto, or will it stay mostly online?