Stablecoins are moving from niche to normal, with new BVNK research showing more people using them for everything from getting paid to making everyday purchases.

Polling over 4,600 crypto-holders across fifteen countries in partnership with Coinbase and Artemis, the payment platform’s Stablecoin Utility Report found that 39% are now getting paid in stablecoins, with these transactions representing around a third (35%) of their annual earnings.

As stablecoins are pegged 1:1 to fiat currencies, this amounts to tens of millions flowing through stablecoin payrolls each year, with users reporting average fee savings of 40% compared with traditional remittance methods.

BVNK’s study suggests that banks are already behind, with stablecoins already having entered a form of circulation. More than a quarter (27%) of stablecoin holders are using them as a payment method for everyday activities, with an average of $200 worth in their wallets.

Over half (52%) of crypto holders said they have purchased something specifically because the merchant accepted stablecoins, with that share rising to 60% in emerging markets, evidence of growing use as an everyday currency rather than as savings or speculative trading.

More signs that industry is lagging real‑world adoption are that 77% of early adopters said they would open a stablecoin wallet with their primary banking provider if one were offered, while 71% would be interested in using a debit card linked to their stablecoins.

For now, though, demand for stablecoins exceeds their spending opportunities, with BVNK finding that despide 42% of people wanting to spend crypto and stablecoins on major or lifestyle purchases, only 28% currently do so. 

“Crypto natives and early adopters are fully on board with stablecoins, using them to pay and be paid,” said Anthony Yim, CEO of research firm Artemis.

“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.”

This shift in behaviour is not ideological, but practical, with the top reasons to pay with stablecoins being lower fees (30%), security (28%), and global access (27%), benefits that are pushing the everyday use of stablecoins worldwide, well beyond its roots in the Global South.

Everyday use of stablecoins has been driven by conditions in South America, Asia, and Africa, where traditional money movement can be slow, expensive, or restricted. In Africa, for example, where currencies can be particularly volatile, the study found that 79% of crypto holders relied on stablecoins for stability and financial inclusion.

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However, the report found that, increasingly, more developed economies such as the US, the UK, and Europe are recognising the potential of stablecoins, with BVNK finding 45% of crypto users in higher-income economies now hold them, and at substantially higher amounts, around $1,000, compared to $85 in emerging markets.

“In many emerging economies, people have adopted stablecoins out of necessity,” said John Turner, group product manager for stablecoins at Coinbase.

“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.”