Global payments infrastructure platform Mercuryo has published data that shows stablecoin usage is evolving to become a core payments and settlement layer, supporting myriad operations across fintech as traditional financial services evolve to integrate the efficiencies of blockchain-based technology.
Originally designed as a safe harbour for traders navigating volatile crypto markets, stablecoins are rapidly gaining traction, serving a variety of use cases across the digital economy: Mercuryo’s analysis of purchases made through its on-ramp infrastructure found that stablecoins accounted for 60% of total crypto purchase value on the platform in the first half of 2026, up from 43% in the second half of 2025.
The growth in use cases for synthetic fiat currencies residing on the blockchain is being powered by neobanks integrating stablecoin rails for international transfers and multi-currency account services. Meanwhile, businesses are using stablecoins to rebalance treasury positions across jurisdictions, move working capital between subsidiaries and settle supplier invoices in real time. In many of these workflows, funds are transferred and settled directly in stablecoins such as USDC, enabling around-the-clock settlement, seven days per week.
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Evolution of finance
As the Web3 user experience evolves, stablecoins are fitting a growing need for instantaneous payments without the processing delays of a bank transfer or the clunky user experience of having to repeatedly enter debit or credit card details to make online purchases. The expansion of stablecoin payment infrastructure is also being accelerated by integrations with the leading consortiums of card payment networks, such as Visa and Mastercard, helping to unlock stablecoin-based spending, consumer payments and merchant settlement.
“Stablecoins are becoming increasingly ubiquitous in payments and the emerging digital economy,” said Arthur Firstov, Chief Business Officer at Mercuryo. “Rather than arriving with a bang, the new age of cryptocurrency is quietly embedding itself into a whole plethora of use cases. The clunkiness of traditional banking infrastructure is quietly being replaced. For consumers and businesses alike, instantaneous online payments are fast becoming a necessity rather than something that is just nice to have.”
Mercuryo data shows the shift in consumer behaviour towards stablecoins is even more pronounced among new users, with stablecoins representing 47% of all first-time crypto purchases, compared with 33% in the second half of 2025. Meanwhile, the average stablecoin order rose by about 28%, suggesting that users are not only choosing stablecoins more frequently but also buying more.
Mercuryo’s analysis covered purchase volume, transaction numbers, tokens, payment methods, operating systems and first-time buyer behaviour. The data analysis is based on user purchasing activity completed through Mercuryo’s on-ramp infrastructure during the first half of 2026 compared with the second half of 2025.
Stablecoin Boom
Visa announced in 2023 that it had expanded its stablecoin settlement capabilities with USDC over the Solana and Ethereum blockchain networks. The integration enables Visa to move millions of dollars in USDC directly to acquirers’ digital wallets, including during weekends and holidays.
BlackRock and Circle launched a tokenised fund backed by US Treasury bills, cash and repo agreements. The partnership between the world’s biggest asset manager and the issuer of the second biggest stablecoin enables a smart-contract facility where treasurers can instantly swap BUIDL shares for liquid USDC at all times.
PayPal integrated the dollar-backed stablecoin (PYUSD) into its digital money transfer service Xoom, enabling users in the US to settle cross-border transactions with local disbursement partners. By using PYUSD as the underlying bridge asset, PayPal avoids maintaining expensive pre-funded local bank reserves across regional banks.
Mercuryo is a first-mover and innovator in the fast-evolving Web3 space, providing a variety of payment solutions along with seamless on-chain integration. Mercuryo’s intuitive solutions are simplifying the experience for newcomers to the digital token space. Mercuryo specialises in efficient capital flow in the DeFi ecosystem and combines various payment solutions into a single interface.
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