A new global study released today by BVNK shows stablecoins are no longer a niche tool for traders, but a practical form of money people use for everything from getting paid to buying groceries and paying for services. The report, produced in partnership with YouGov, Coinbase and Artemis, surveyed more than 4,600 crypto-savvy respondents across 15 countries and paints a picture of fast, low-cost, and increasingly mainstream use.
The Stablecoin Utility Report found that a substantial share of crypto-native users are already being paid in stablecoins. Roughly four in ten of those surveyed say they receive some income in stablecoins, and for this group, such payments amount to about one-third of their annual earnings. The study’s authors note that people paid in stablecoins report large savings compared with traditional remittance channels and that many sellers and freelancers see improved international business outcomes as a result.
Stablecoins Becoming Real-World Money
Beyond paychecks, stablecoins are being used like everyday cash. More than a quarter of stablecoin holders use them for routine purchases and keep an average balance roughly equivalent to a couple of hundred dollars in digital dollars ready to spend. Moreover, merchants’ acceptance matters. The report finds that over half of crypto holders have bought something specifically because a merchant accepted stablecoins, and demand to spend these tokens outstrips current opportunities to do so.
Chris Harmse, co-founder of BVNK, commented: “When we talk about stablecoins, we hear the macro numbers: hundreds of billions in market cap, trillions in annual transaction volume. But if you’re sitting in London or New York, you might be thinking: When was the last time I paid for something in stablecoins? When did I see a ‘pay with stablecoins’ option on a website? The skepticism feels rational. So how are people actually using them?”
“That’s what we’ve set out to answer with this report. Stablecoins are being used in the real world because they solve real-world problems. People are already getting paid and spending stablecoins, especially where traditional payments are slow, expensive, or unreliable. They’re using them like everyday money, and asking for greater integration into their existing financial tools so they can continue to benefit from this revolution in money movement,” Harmse explained.
Operational benefits, not ideology, appear to be driving adoption. Respondents cited lower fees, improved security, and global access as the main reasons they prefer paying with stablecoins, and many want their banks and fintech apps to offer stablecoin wallets and linked debit cards. The appetite for simpler, more familiar payment experiences suggests that mainstream adoption hinges on integration with everyday financial infrastructure.
Regional Differences are Striking
The move to use stablecoins as money has been driven heavily by users in South America, Asia, and Africa, where slow or costly cross-border rails and volatile local currencies make dollar-pegged tokens especially useful. In those emerging markets, a majority of crypto-natives hold stablecoins.
The report highlights particularly high adoption in some African countries, and people there often rely on stablecoins as a tool for financial stability and access. Meanwhile, developed markets such as the United States, the United Kingdom and across Europe are beginning to see similar frustrations with traditional payment rails and are responding with evolving regulatory frameworks that may open the door to wider use.
“In many emerging economies, people have adopted stablecoins out of necessity,” said John Turner, Group Product Manager for stablecoins at Coinbase, who partnered with BVNK on the report. “What’s changing now is that people in developed markets are starting to feel the same frustrations with money movement. They want payments that are instant, global, and low-cost. As regulation develops across the US, UK, and Europe, stablecoins are increasingly being seen as a practical upgrade to existing payment systems, rather than a niche crypto product.”
Industry observers see the report as evidence that stablecoins are approaching a tipping point. Anthony Yim, Co-Founder & CEO at crypto research firm Artemis, added: “We’re experiencing a significant behavioral shift in the way that people are using stablecoins. Crypto natives and early adopters are fully on board with stablecoins, using them to pay and be paid. This is driving mainstream, global adoption – stablecoin supply has increased 500% over the past five years, alongside the passage of multiple legislation initiatives in numerous countries. It’s clear we’re experiencing a tipping point.”
The report also shows how businesses are experimenting with stablecoin payouts and settlements. Deel and other corporate customers featured in BVNK’s materials are cited as early examples of platforms using stablecoin rails to speed up cross-border payouts, while merchants and payment partners such as Worldpay and Flywire appear on case lists as firms exploring the new flows. On the analytics side, firms such as Visa, Grayscale, Pantera and VanEck are among those that Artemis says rely on its data to understand on-chain activity, alongside stablecoin issuers such as Tether and Circle.
The study polled 4,658 adults online across 15 countries, with fieldwork carried out between September and October 2025. It deliberately focused on people already familiar with crypto, those who hold it, held it in the past year, or plan to buy it in the next 12 months, so the findings reflect how active digital-asset users actually behave and spend.
For businesses, payment providers and regulators, the message is simple. People want to use stablecoins more, but wider uptake will come down to two things: merchants accepting them, and easier ways to hold and spend them. In short, the next big step is making stablecoins feel as seamless as any other money in your banking or fintech apps, so the technology moves from niche to normal.
