Forget the hype cycles and meme coins for a second. Take a look at what was really happening under the hood of the crypto market in 2025.
Here’s fresh data from CoinGate—one of the world’s largest crypto payment processors. Last year, they processed 1.42 million crypto payments, bringing their all-time total past 7 million transactions. But the real story isn’t about volume—it’s about how businesses actually used crypto.
In the past, crypto was mostly a gateway for entry/exit or a temporary parking spot between trades. In 2025, that changed. Companies started holding operational capital in crypto, especially stablecoins. And we’re not talking about a few hundred bucks—we’re talking real working balances.
USDC was the breakout star of the year: its share of settlements jumped from 0.01% to 12.6% year-over-year. Yeah, you heard that right. And when it came to payouts, 83.4% were made in USDC. Why? Because businesses needed predictability—not volatility—especially when paying suppliers, salaries, or taxes via API. In fact, 85% of merchants had already automated payouts through integrations.
Here’s another twist: Bitcoin reclaimed the top spot by transaction count (22.1%), but not as a speculative vehicle—more as a store of value. And Litecoin, by the way, landed in third place with 14.4% of payments. Didn’t see that coming, did you?
CoinGate also secured a MiCA license from the Bank of Lithuania last year. That wasn’t just paperwork—it sent a clear signal to the market: crypto finance is no longer the “wild west.” It’s now part of a regulated European financial infrastructure.
So next time someone tells you crypto is only about trading and memes, remind them: real businesses have already moved to using it as their operational currency.
And here’s a question for you, as a trader: if companies were holding their cash reserves in USDC instead of banks—where do you think liquidity will pool up in the next crypto cycle?
