"Technology Takes a Backseat": How Stablecoins Transition from Savings to Everyday Payments

The prominence that Bitcoin had for years within the crypto universe seems to be fading in the face of the rise of another type of digital asset: stablecoins. A recent report from the Binance exchange indicates that, globally, stablecoin transfers during weekends average $76 billion, with about $38 billion daily, a volume comparable to Visa's average daily transactions of approximately $40 billion, representing 53% of the average of $71 billion on weekdays. In this context, their use is already beginning to spread in Latin America. "The new generation of users does not think of this as crypto: they simply seek an easy way to use digital dollars. Technology takes a backseat when the experience works," points out Alvin Kan, COO of Bitget Wallet. Specifically, since the firm officially began operations in the region in January of this year, the number of payments made through QR codes and cards has grown by more than 700%, a sign that more and more users are incorporating digital assets to cover daily expenses and not just as an investment tool.

The Use of Stablecoins in Argentina

Locally, these cryptocurrencies are also gaining popularity. "We saw a growth of over 700% in stablecoin transfers over the past year, and the country now has the highest average balance in stablecoins in the region, surpassing Brazil, Colombia, Peru, and other Latin American markets," comments Federico García Ferrando, Latam growth regional manager of Bitget Wallet, to LA NACION. For the expert, this scenario reflects two issues: on one hand, users are not only using such digital assets to protect themselves from inflation, but they are also actively transacting with them. On the other hand, the "infrastructure that is maturing around stablecoins (faster settlement, lower costs, and a smooth conversion to local spending through crypto cards) is transforming them into a practical and everyday payment layer, rather than a purely speculative or savings instrument." He adds: "In markets like Argentina, where inflation, currency volatility, and restrictions on accessing dollars remain a challenge, many users use stablecoins as a way to preserve value, receive income from abroad, send money, and make daily payments." For his part, Julián Colombo, director of Bitso for South America, states that the use of crypto dollars as a payment method and for international transfers, both among individual and corporate users, "continues to grow." In fact, in 2025, 71% of the cryptocurrencies acquired in Argentina were stablecoins (57% in USDT and 14% in USDC), a percentage higher than the regional average, which stood at 40% (24% USDC and 16% USDT), according to the report Crypto Landscape in Latin America, prepared by Bitso. However, when it comes to maintaining positions in portfolios, Colombo highlights a particularity: Argentines prefer Bitcoin, which leads holdings with 52% of assets (vs. 49% in 2024), followed by digital dollars, with 18%, meaning that "stablecoins are not the cryptocurrencies most held in portfolios." "Partly, this is explained because they are bought especially for transfers and payments rather than to be kept as a long-term store of value, which makes them a high-turnover asset rather than an accumulation one," indicates the specialist.

Financial Infrastructure

Meanwhile, from the Lemon platform, another phenomenon is identified: digital dollars are ceasing to be merely a savings tool to become "financial infrastructure." "They are becoming the technology that allows money to be moved more simply between different countries and financial systems," they state. "At Lemon, we see this trend every day. Today, millions of people use digital dollars without necessarily realizing it: when they make a purchase abroad with the Lemon Visa Card, pay with PIX in Brazil, receive money from abroad, or choose to save in dollars. In many of those cases, stablecoins function as the technological layer that makes that experience possible," they elaborate. Along these lines, on this platform, the volume operated with stablecoins increased 45% year-on-year. According to the firm, the growth was driven mainly by their use to move money, make payments, and connect different financial systems, rather than for accumulation purposes. However, this does not mean that saving in digital dollars has ceased to be the main use case in the country: "98% of payments with QR and with the Lemon Visa Card are still made in pesos, even when the user has the option to pay with digital dollars." Lemon attributes this to economic and cultural reasons. "Argentines still see the dollar as a store of value, and moreover, the current context offers incentives to keep pesos invested in money market instruments due to exchange rate stability and available rates," they detail. They conclude: "In Argentina, digital dollars were born as a refuge against inflation and devaluation. Today they continue to fulfill that role, but they also consolidate as the infrastructure on which a new generation of more global, interoperable, and instant financial services is built.",