finsmart-news_admin 
January 21, 2026 – Vilnius, Lithuania
While overall transaction volumes adjusted during the year, the data shows crypto becoming increasingly embedded in business operations, from settlements and treasury management to payouts and automation.
In 2025, CoinGate processed 1.42 million crypto payments, bringing the platform’s total processed volume to over seven million payments since launch.
Transaction activity adjusted during the year primarily due to the phased discontinuation of USDT, which had a direct impact on checkout volume.
Rather than signaling weakening demand, the data points to a structural reset, with usage shifting toward fewer, higher-value transactions and more predictable payment patterns.
Bitcoin reclaimed its position as the most-used cryptocurrency on CoinGate, accounting for 22.1% of all payments and overtaking USDT.
Stablecoins continued to play a significant role, representing 29.8% of all payments, though their composition changed decisively.
USDC emerged as the dominant stablecoin, with order volume increasing by 1,264% YoY (year-over-year), as businesses adapted to regulatory changes and prioritized predictable, compliant assets.
Litecoin strengthened its position as the third most-used cryptocurrency, reaching a 14.4% payment share.
Beyond checkout activity, merchant behavior highlighted one of the most significant shifts of the year.
25.2% of all payments were settled in stablecoins, up from 16.7% in 2024, while overall crypto settlements increased from 27% to 37.5%.
USDC stood out as a core operational asset, with its settlement share rising from 0.01% to 12.6% YoY.
For many merchants, crypto is no longer treated as a pass-through payment method but as operational capital used for holding value, treasury management and outbound payments.
Payout data further reinforced this trend.
USDC accounted for 83.4% of all payouts in 2025, reflecting its role as the preferred currency for outbound payments.
CoinGate’s FX payout functionality allowed merchants to convert funds from existing balances, including fiat, into crypto at the moment of payout, with 85.4% of EUR-based payouts converted directly into USDC.
Once converted, 96.8% of USDC payouts remained in USDC, indicating limited asset switching and a clear preference for operational stability.
Automation became the standard execution model.
85% of merchants executed payouts via API, embedding crypto payouts directly into business workflows rather than handling them manually.
This shift highlights how crypto payments at CoinGate have moved beyond experimentation and into production-grade financial infrastructure.
In 2025, CoinGate also obtained authorization under the MiCA (markets in crypto-assets) framework from the Bank of Lithuania.
The license places CoinGate within a unified European regulatory regime and provides businesses with greater legal clarity when operating crypto payments and payouts across borders.
Taken together, CoinGate’s 2025 data shows a market entering a more mature phase.
Crypto payments did not disappear – they became more operational, standardized and embedded into how businesses manage money.
Founded in 2014, CoinGate is a MiCA-licensed cryptocurrency payment solution that enables businesses to accept and manage payments in crypto assets across multiple networks and layer-two solutions.
The company also provides crypto payouts and cross-asset FX tools for business disbursements.
CoinGate is based in Lithuania and serves merchants worldwide. Users can learn more at coingate.com.
Vilius Barbaravicius, content manager at CoinGate
