Mastodon is great for certain things, but not great as a broadcast medium. A European AT Protocol implementation is a better solution https://www.eurosky.social/

Not be able to buy or sell anything without a US company as intermediary does seem something of a risk in the current environment

Looks like it’s national.

Deflating deep-rooted habits and established digital wallets like Apple Pay or Google Pay requires convincing added value. The Dutch „iDEAL | Wero“ strategy has a unique advantage here: it transfers an entire national user base almost automatically.