Stablecoins Dominate Crypto On-Ramp Value in 2026

In the first half of 2026, stablecoins accounted for 60% of the total crypto purchase value processed through Mercuryo's on-ramp infrastructure. This represents a significant increase from the second half of 2025, when stablecoins made up 43% of on-ramp value. On the off-ramp side, USDC and tether (USDt) represented 57% of accepted off-ramp transactions, compared to 25% a year earlier. Their share of total off-ramp turnover rose from 30% to 56% in the same period.

The volume of stablecoin off-ramp transactions grew by 446% year-on-year, outpacing the 38% growth of other digital tokens. Stablecoins accounted for approximately 80% of the overall increase in off-ramp activity during the period. Mercuryo noted that stablecoin cash-out activity remained consistent across the week, with weekend volumes averaging around 86% of weekday levels.

Arthur Firstov, chief business officer at Mercuryo, attributed the shift to growing awareness of crypto payroll. He stated that stablecoins provide a low-cost, high-speed means of transferring value, and their growing use for salary payments reflects increasing awareness of the advantages that crypto payroll services offer over traditional payroll.