Interest in digital assets in Latin America is changing rapidly. Recently, users in the region are increasingly converting their funds to stablecoins. Reasons such as economic pressures in countries, high inflation and depreciating local currencies stand out behind this new trend.
Stablecoin preference is increasing
According to the Cryptocurrency Exchange Bitso’s Crypto Adoption report for 2025, 40 percent of crypto purchases in the region were made to stablecoins indexed to the US dollar, while Bitcoin’s share remained at 18 percent. Users mostly turn to digital assets pegged to the US dollar, such as Tether USDt and USDC. The data on which the report is based is based on the transaction history of approximately 10 million individual users of the exchange. These results showed that stablecoin transactions surpassed Bitcoin for the first time.
“Bitcoin still stands out as a long-term digital store of value in Latin America,” the Bitso report stated. Accordingly, Bitcoin was held in 52 percent of crypto portfolios in the region in 2025; There was only a slight decline compared to the previous year.
Digital dollarization and financial solutions
The results show that users in the region are starting to prefer US dollar equivalents against financial instability. Stablecoins stand out as a practical alternative for storing value and payment transactions in countries where high inflation and difficulties in accessing banking services prevail. The US dollar remains the main medium of exchange around the world, and central banks also offer a more stable value compared to inflation, increasing the appeal of such digital assets.
Bitso’s data shows not only market size but also users turning to stablecoins for business, payments and cross-border transfers. The stablecoin ecosystem worldwide has reached a size of 320 billion dollars. In Latin America, the use of stablecoins addresses practical needs such as protecting savings, making payments and sending money abroad.
Regional initiatives and the role of Bitcoin
Developments within the region are supporting the stablecoin market. In April, Brazilian e-commerce giant Mercado Libre started cross-border money transfers between Brazil, Mexico and Chile with its own stablecoin called Meli Dollar. The company terminated its previous digital currency, Mercado Coin, at the beginning of the year. Such initiatives increase users’ demand for financial solutions outside traditional banking channels.
Although Bitcoin’s share of trading volume in Latin America has decreased, it maintains its position as a long-term savings tool. In 2025, Bitcoin remained in the portfolios of the majority of crypto investors in the region, accounting for 52 percent. Despite price fluctuations, many users trust Bitcoin’s features such as decentralization, supply cap, and long-term value preservation.
The latest analysis prepared by MarketVector points out that Bitcoin is similar to gold not only in its price performance but also in its fundamental features. Both assets have factors such as scarcity, decentralization and limited supply, and with these aspects, they stand out as long-term stores of value.
Bitcoin price rose from time to time in 2025, reaching above $126,000 in October, then saw a sharp correction and fell to $60,000.
All these developments indicate that a new era may have begun in the adoption of digital currencies in Latin America. With economic and technological changes in the region, users continue to turn to new financial alternatives.
