Stablecoins Have Overtaken Bitcoin in Latin America for the First Time and Digital Dollarization Is Why

[cryptobro]

For the first time, stablecoins have surpassed Bitcoin as the most purchased crypto asset in Latin America, according to Bitso's 2025 report based on data from nearly 10 million retail users across its exchange platform. Dollar-linked stablecoins including USDT and USDC accounted for 40% of crypto purchases in 2025, while Bitcoin came in at 18%. The shift reflects a fundamentally different use case driving adoption across the region. Rather than speculative investment, the primary motivation in Latin America is what Bitso describes as digital dollarization: using stablecoins as an accessible way to store value and transact in US dollar equivalents when local currencies are losing value rapidly and traditional banking access is limited.

The economic context makes the data unsurprising. Countries across Latin America have faced persistent inflation, currency depreciation, and constrained banking infrastructure that makes holding local currency a financially damaging proposition for ordinary people. A stablecoin pegged to the US dollar offers a practical solution that Bitcoin, with its price volatility, cannot reliably provide for people who need their savings to hold value in the near term rather than appreciating over a decade-long horizon. The Bitso findings align with broader stablecoin adoption trends globally, where B2B volumes have surged and platforms like Meta are now routing creator payments in USDC across emerging markets. Latin America's shift from Bitcoin to stablecoins as the primary crypto use case is a signal that the region's adoption story has matured from speculative curiosity to genuine financial utility.

[mendez]

Latin Americans chose stablecoins over Bitcoin at twice the rate because their currency is losing value and they need dollars now not in ten years, which is the most rational financial decision in this entire industry.