TradFi Perpetuals Using Stablecoin Settlement Surpass $1.1 Trillion: Report from Binance Research
Stablecoins are rapidly establishing themselves as a preferred settlement infrastructure for tokenized traditional finance markets while simultaneously experiencing increased adoption in payment systems and savings applications, according to a recent Binance Research analysis.
Trading volume for stablecoin-settled perpetual contracts linked to traditional finance assets exceeded $1.1 trillion throughout the initial six months of 2026, Binance Research reports, highlighting the expanding influence of stablecoins within tokenized financial infrastructure.
Binance Research data reveals that stablecoins are experiencing increased utilization for settling perpetual contracts tied to traditional financial instruments, with this market segment expanding to approximately 11% of total crypto perpetual trading volumes during the opening five months of 2026.
Extending beyond the derivatives trading sector, Binance Research indicates that stablecoins are progressively serving as long-duration value storage mechanisms instead of merely functioning as short-term trading instruments. The research discovered that 30% of users on the Binance exchange currently maintain over half of their holdings in stablecoins, representing a substantial increase from the 4% recorded in 2020.
The worldwide market capitalization for stablecoins has expanded to approximately $311 billion, marking an increase from roughly $254 billion recorded one year earlier, based on data compiled by DefiLlama. Transaction volumes have maintained alignment with this market expansion. Data from Visa's Allium-powered stablecoin monitoring dashboard demonstrated that adjusted stablecoin transaction volume achieved a record-breaking $1.79 trillion during June, exceeding the prior peak established in February.
Latin America emerges as key stablecoin market
Expanding beyond trading and savings applications, Binance Research also indicates that stablecoins are experiencing increased adoption for international payment transfers, with particularly strong growth occurring in Latin America, where utilization has intensified throughout the previous 12 months.
Latin America's proportion of Binance stablecoin transfer participants increased more than twofold to 38% during 2026 from 17% recorded in 2025, the report states, crediting this surge to expanding demand for more rapid and cost-effective international transfer solutions.
These results correspond with wider regional movement patterns. Research conducted by Bitso, a Mexico City-headquartered cryptocurrency exchange, determined that stablecoins pegged to the US dollar represented 40% of cryptocurrency asset acquisitions on its platform throughout 2025, surpassing Bitcoin's 18% market share for the inaugural time.
This accelerating adoption has generated a substantial commercial opportunity. During May, Claudia Wang, a former Bybit executive, projected that remittance channels operating outside the US-to-Mexico corridor constitute a $112 billion opportunity for entities issuing stablecoins.
Established remittance service providers have acknowledged this development. Western Union introduced its USDPT stablecoin on the Solana network during May for international payment transfers, with competing firm MoneyGram following in June through the launch of its MGUSD stablecoin on Stellar, broadening blockchain-powered international transfer capabilities throughout its consumer-facing application.