Binance has released a new report highlighting a dramatic shift in user behavior, with a growing number of people in emerging markets using its platform not just for trading but as a primary banking tool. The data reveals that 77% of Binance users in 2026 are based in emerging markets, up from 49% in 2020.
The research frames crypto adoption as a financial-access narrative. Among users engaging with two or more products, 83% are in emerging markets, where savings rates are more than double those in developed nations. Stablecoins are at the core of this trend: 36% of emerging-market users with balances above $10 hold at least half their portfolio in stablecoins, compared to a global average of 28% (up from just 4% in 2020).
Binance points to a vast unbanked population—1.3 billion adults lack financial services, while 4.7 billion have no credit access—and notes that stablecoin transfers on high-performance networks can cost as little as $0.0001, settling almost instantly, versus a minimum of $20 for traditional cross-border SWIFT payments. The World Bank puts the global average remittance cost above the UN target of 3%.
The report also mentions warnings from Moody’s and the IMF about risks to monetary sovereignty, even as adoption surges. In Brazil, for instance, stablecoins now drive 90% of the country's crypto volume, according to tax authority data.
