Digital dollar–linked assets such as USDC and USDT accounted for 40% of all crypto purchases in Latin America during 2025, surpassing Bitcoin for the first time, according to Bitso’s latest Crypto Landscape in Latin America 2025 report.
The findings reflect a structural shift in how crypto is being used across the region: less as a speculative instrument and increasingly as financial infrastructure for savings, payments, and cross-border value transfer.
Despite stablecoins leading purchases, Bitcoin remains the most widely held asset, representing 52% of portfolios across the region, suggesting users are simultaneously building long-term positions while maintaining dollar exposure.
“What we are seeing across Latin America is not speculative adoption. It is functional adoption,” said Felipe Vallejo, CEO at Bitso México. “People are using crypto to access dollars, protect purchasing power, and connect to global financial systems.”
The report analyzes behavioral data from nearly 10 million Bitso retail users across Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, and Mexico.
The dominance of dollar-linked digital assets reflects a broader regional trend often described as digital dollarization, where blockchain-based dollars provide faster and more accessible alternatives to traditional banking channels.
Across the region, the most purchased assets in 2025 were:
● USDC (24%)
● Bitcoin (18%)
● USDT (16%)
This shift signals that users are prioritizing financial stability and liquidity access rather than short-term trading strategies.
While stablecoins dominate purchasing activity, Bitcoin continues to function as Latin America’s primary long-term digital store of value.
Bitcoin holdings remained stable year-over-year, moving only slightly from 53% in 2024 to 52% in 2025, suggesting users are maintaining strategic exposure rather than rotating portfolios based on market cycles.
Chainalysis estimates show crypto adoption in Latin America grew 63% year-over-year in 2025, highlighting the region’s continued expansion as one of the fastest-growing crypto markets globally. Structural drivers behind adoption remain consistent across the region:
● inflation volatility
● limited access to stable currencies
● remittance flows
● expanding fintech infrastructure
Contrary to expectations that adoption slows outside bull markets, users aged 18–24 increased their share of the user base to 29%, reinforcing the idea that crypto is becoming a baseline financial infrastructure for younger generations.
Meanwhile, a smaller group of advanced traders — representing roughly 8–10% of users — continues to account for a disproportionate share of trading volume, reflecting increasing ecosystem sophistication.
The report identifies a defining structural pattern shaping adoption. Latin Americans are using crypto simultaneously as:
● a mechanism for accessing dollars
● a tool for long-term asset accumulation
“These two behaviors describe a maturing ecosystem,” added Vallejo. “Crypto in Latin America is no longer just an investment story. It’s increasingly a financial access story.”
The Crypto Landscape in Latin America 2025 report analyzes purchasing and holding behavior across Bitso’s four largest markets: Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, and Mexico.
Bitso has conducted semi-annual and annual analyses of its users’ purchasing and portfolio behavior at a regional level since 2024. In collaboration with Bitso’s Data Science department, the reports show the evolution of customer behavior, crypto assets, and the increasing sophistication of app and web platform usage.
