Stablecoin-settled perpetual contracts tied to traditional financial assets topped $1.1 trillion in trading volume during the first half of 2026, according to Binance Research, underscoring the growing role of stablecoins in tokenized financial markets.
According to Binance Research, stablecoins are increasingly being used to settle TradFi-linked perpetual contracts, a market that’s grown to roughly 11% of all crypto perpetual trading volume in the first five months of 2026.
TradFi perpetual volume and Binance market share. Source: Binance Research
Beyond derivatives trading, Binance Research said stablecoins are increasingly being used as long-term stores of value rather than temporary trading assets. It found that 30% of Binance exchange users now hold more than half of their portfolios in stablecoins, up from 4% in 2020.
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The global stablecoin market cap has grown to roughly $311 billion, up from about $254 billion a year ago, according to DefiLlama data. Transaction activity has kept pace with market growth. Visa’s Allium-powered stablecoin dashboard showed adjusted stablecoin volume reached a record $1.79 trillion in June, surpassing the previous high set in February.
Latin America emerges as key stablecoin market
Beyond trading and savings, Binance Research also said stablecoins are gaining traction for cross-border payments, particularly in Latin America, where adoption has accelerated over the past 12 months.
The region’s share of Binance stablecoin transfer users more than doubled to 38% in 2026 from 17% in 2025, according to the report, which attributed the increase to growing demand for faster and lower-cost international transfers.
Stablecoin transfers. Source: Binance Research
The findings align with broader regional trends. A report from Mexico City-based crypto exchange Bitso found that US dollar-pegged stablecoins accounted for 40% of crypto asset purchases on its platform in 2025, besting Bitcoin’s 18% share for the first time.
The growing adoption has created a sizable market opportunity. In May, former Bybit executive Claudia Wang estimated that remittance corridors outside the US-to-Mexico market represent a $112 billion opportunity for stablecoin issuers.
Traditional remittance providers have taken notice. In May, Western Union launched its USDPT stablecoin on the Solana network for cross-border payments, followed by rival MoneyGram’s June launch of its MGUSD stablecoin on Stellar, expanding blockchain-based international transfers through its consumer app.
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