Stablecoin-settled TradFi perpetual trading tops $1.1T: Binance Research
Stablecoins are becoming a core settlement layer in tokenized finance. Stablecoin-settled perpetual contracts tied to traditional assets exceeded $1.1 trillion in trading volume in the first half of 2026, and TradFi-linked perp markets now make up about 11% of all crypto perpetual volume. Stablecoins are also shifting from trading tools to reserve assets: 30% of Binance users now keep more than half of their portfolios in stablecoins, up sharply from 4% in 2020. Market growth is broad-based. Total stablecoin market cap has risen to about $311 billion, and adjusted transaction volume hit a record $1.79 trillion in June. Adoption is especially strong in Latin America, where Binance’s share of stablecoin transfer users rose to 38% in 2026 from 17% in 2025, driven by demand for faster, cheaper cross-border payments. Traditional remittance firms are responding by launching their own stablecoins for international transfers.
