Kingstown, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, May 6th, 2026, FinanceWire
Changelly uncovers the main stablecoin trends for 2026, and hosts a podcast with Stablerail on stablecoin infrastructure every business must build on May 15, 2026.
Stablecoins are no longer backend infrastructure. Across 2025, Changelly data shows them functioning as everyday money: spent, swapped, and held as default balances. The patterns shape what 2026 will look like for stablecoins.
Changelly composed the report on stablecoins based on the industry-wide trends in 2025. Moreover, Changelly and Simple conducted a survey on consumer card usage and spending data among 3000+ users that also demonstrates key shifts in stablecoin perception.
To explore these changes further, Changelly will host a podcast titled “The Rise of Stablecoins: Infrastructure Every Business Must Build” on May 15, 2026. The discussion will feature John Adam Khandjian (CGO at Changelly) and Alex Emelian (CEO & Co-Founder of Stablerail, an AI neobank for stablecoin companies, formerly CEO of Simple), focusing on why stablecoin rails are becoming essential for any business related to international trading.
From Growth to Usage: Stablecoins Cross $300B Threshold
Stablecoins reached a higher level of scale in 2025, with total supply exceeding $300 billion and annual on-chain transaction volume nearing $46 trillion.
Beyond overall scale, usage patterns have continued to evolve. Stablecoins are no longer used primarily for trading or liquidity purposes. They are increasingly utilized in a broader range of financial activities and, in some contexts, function as a medium of exchange.
2026 Trend #1: Stablecoins Concentrate Higher-Value Activity as Core Financial Behavior Emerges
Changelly’s research from 2025 shows that stablecoins are already central to user activity:
23.78% of all completed transactions involved stablecoins Stablecoin transactions were ~5x larger than non-stablecoin onesThis is not experimental usage. It reflects deliberate financial decisions, where users rely on stablecoins for meaningful value transfer.
2026 Trend #2: Stablecoins Emerge as Active Liquidity Layer in User Portfolios
A key narrative in crypto has been that users move into stablecoins during downturns and wait. However, in Changelly's exchange API the situation is different:
Stablecoin swap participation grew +33% year-over-year Swap flows between crypto and stablecoins are nearly perfectly balanced (3.8% of total swap activity goes from stablecoins into crypto, 4.1% goes the other way)Users are not exiting into stablecoins. They are circulating through them.
2026 Trend #3: Stablecoins Move Into Everyday Payments as Consumer Spending Scales
The strongest signal of adoption comes from spending behavior.
60.6% of users surveyed by Changelly claim they are already spending via crypto cards The average transaction size is ~€40 60–70% of spending goes to everyday categories like groceries and transportThis usage mirrors traditional debit card behavior.
2026 Trend #4: Stablecoin Adoption Barrier Shifts from Technical to Educational
Infrastructure is no longer the main problem. The friction has shifted from engineering to education, according to the survey mentioned above:
59% of of current crypto card users report no technical issues 58% of non-users cite lack of understanding as the main barrierUpcoming Podcast: The Rise of Stablecoin Infrastructure
To explore these trends in depth, Changelly will host a live discussion titled “The Rise of Stablecoins: Infrastructure Every Business Must Build” on May 15, 2026.
The speakers, John Adam Khandjian (Changelly) & Alex Emelian (Stablerail), will discuss:
How stablecoins became the real onboarding layer into crypto The reason behind the shift from holding stablecoins to active usage and spending Why adoption is now driven by product design and user understanding, not infrastructure.The session will feature a 20-minute discussion followed by a live Q&A for 40 minutes.
About Changelly
Changelly is an instant crypto exchange platform and a trusted crypto API provider serving over 600 companies and 12 million users worldwide. It offers secure crypto-to-crypto exchange, fiat on-ramp/off-ramp APIs, and crypto payment processing. Discover how businesses can enhance their crypto offerings with Changelly’s business products . Users can follow Changelly on LinkedIn for updates on new features and industry trends.
About Stablerail
Stablerail is the AI neobank for stablecoin-native companies moving 6–8 figures monthly. One self-custodial account to hold, swap, pay, invoice, get fiat IBANs, spend on cards, and earn yield. AI screens every payment for sanctions, taint, and policy match before anyone signs.
Contact
PR ManagerAnna Reed
Changelly
pr@changelly.com