Stablecoins are gradually changing from a tool for traders on crypto exchanges to a common means of payment. According to new data, digital tokens pegged to the US dollar or euro are now used not only to preserve capital, but increasingly for payroll and everyday purchases. This is shown by a global survey commissioned by London-based fintech company BVNK and conducted by YouGov.
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Income in stablecoins is no longer a marginal issue
The online survey, conducted in September and October 2025, involved 4,658 respondents from 15 countries. These were adults who already hold cryptocurrencies or plan to purchase them, i.e., a group open to digital assets. According to the results, 39% of respondents said they receive part of their income in stablecoins. On average, this digital money represents about 35% of their annual earnings.
Another 27% of respondents use stablecoins for everyday payments. The most frequently cited reasons are lower fees and speed of transfers, especially for international transactions. Those who use stablecoins for cross-border transfers report cost savings of around 40% compared to traditional remittance services.
Emerging markets drive adoption
The survey results show significant regional differences. In middle- and low-income economies, 60% of respondents hold stablecoins, compared to 45% in developed countries. The highest ownership rate was recorded in Africa, where 79% of respondents hold stablecoins and where the largest increase in the volume of tokens held has occurred over the past year.
More than half of stablecoin holders said they made a specific purchase precisely because the merchant accepted this form of payment. In emerging economies, this share rises to 60%. At the same time, 42% of respondents say they would like to use stablecoins for larger or lifestyle purchases, while currently only about 28% do so.
How much do people actually hold in stablecoins?
The average balance in stablecoin wallets globally is around $200. However, in high-income economies, this average is significantly higher, reaching approximately $1,000. The survey also shows strong interest in the involvement of traditional financial institutions. A total of 77% of respondents would open a stablecoin wallet with their main bank or fintech company if it offered such a service, and 71% would be interested in using a payment card linked to stablecoins.
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Users do not bet on a single token
A BVNK representative said that the study’s goal was not to measure stablecoin adoption across the entire population, but to understand the behavior of current and potential crypto users in more detail. The data also shows that respondents do not usually rely on a single issuer. Instead, they hold a combination of stablecoins pegged to the dollar and the euro and spread their balances across multiple tokens.
When it comes to managing stablecoins, 46% of respondents prefer crypto exchanges, 40% prefer payment apps with crypto features such as PayPal or Venmo, and 39% use mobile crypto wallets. Only 13% would like to hold stablecoins in a hardware wallet.
Stablecoins are entering regulated payment systems
The growing use of stablecoins is also supported by regulatory developments. The adoption of the US GENIUS Act and the European Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation brings stablecoins closer to official financial systems. Companies are beginning to incorporate them into payroll and payment processes, especially for international teams.
Global payroll platform Deel announced that it will begin offering stablecoin payroll payments in February in partnership with MoonPay. The service will first launch in the UK and the European Union, followed by the United States.
Corporate interest grows along with market volume
Corporate activity in the stablecoin space is also accelerating on the B2B payments side. Paystand recently acquired Bitwage, a platform focused on cross-border stablecoin payments. The acquisition is expected to expand the digital settlement and foreign exchange capabilities of the Paystand network, which, according to the company, has processed over $20 billion in payments.
Stablecoins also benefit from their structure. Thanks to their 1:1 peg to fiat currencies such as the dollar or euro, they do not suffer from the price volatility typical of bitcoin or ether and are therefore more practical for payments. According to data from the DefiLlama platform, the current market capitalization of stablecoins is $307.8 billion. In mid-July, when the US GENIUS Act was signed, it was around $260.4 billion.
Stablecoins are thus increasingly moving from the crypto world into the real economy—from payroll to everyday purchases—suggesting that digital money pegged to traditional currencies may play a key role in the next phase of cryptocurrency adoption.
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