What 7,500 consumers told us about stablecoins.
Stablecoins are ready for everyday life
Three-quarters of consumers in frontier markets would use stablecoins to pay for coffee, groceries and even rent. That is the headline finding of the Digital Asset Appetite Index, Lydian's new study of how consumers feel about paying with stablecoins.
This inaugural Index surveyed 7,500 consumers across Argentina, the Philippines, Indonesia, Kenya and the UAE. We set out to understand both the opportunities and the barriers in using stablecoins as a payment option. What we found was a level of appetite that goes well beyond curiosity.
Consumers don't see stablecoins as a niche tool for occasional purchases. They see them as a way to pay for the full range of daily life.
76% are likely to use stablecoins for small everyday purchases such as coffee, groceries and transit.
73% are likely to use them for recurring bills like rent, utilities and tuition.
30% of people who don't use stablecoins yet plan to adopt them in the future.
The near-identical numbers for a cup of coffee and a month's rent tell an important story. Consumers trust stablecoins with small, frequent spending and with their biggest regular commitments alike.
Not a future trend, a current habit
Stablecoin usage is moving beyond preference and into practice. A third of respondents (33%) had used stablecoins for payments or transfers in the past month alone.
That demand is strong enough to shape where people shop. 72% would actively choose a retailer that offered stablecoin payments alongside cash and card. For merchants, this turns stablecoin acceptance from a nice-to-have into a genuine point of difference.
What's driving demand
Two pressures sit behind this appetite: financial uncertainty and the cost of moving money.
Inflation is biting. 76% say inflation reduced their purchasing power over the past year.
Protection matters. 71% view an everyday payment method that protects against currency devaluation as "very" or "extremely" valuable.
Fees add up. 73% would use stablecoins internationally to avoid FX markups and transaction fees.
For many consumers in these markets, a way to pay that holds its value is a practical answer to real everyday problems.
Consumers are keeping pace with the industry
These findings arrive as major industry players drive stablecoin adoption forward. Major international banks have launched their own stablecoins, and significant investment is flowing into expanding stablecoin adoption in emerging markets. The Index shows consumer demand is reflecting those developments.
Carl Grimstad, CEO at Lydian, believes the West has been looking at this the wrong way:
"We discount everyday stablecoin usage because we look at it from a purely Western perspective. But when you look at these emerging and frontier regions, you have a different starting point. Not everyone has access to credit cards, but people may already have money sitting in a digital wallet. If that's where your customer holds their money, there's a clear commercial reason to enable them to spend it."
A full spectrum of payments
The message for merchants and payment providers is clear. As Carl puts it, this is not about "random, one-off stablecoin purchases but a full spectrum of payments – from morning coffee to monthly rent."
That is exactly the opportunity Lydian is built for. Our digital asset payment infrastructure lets merchants and payment providers accept stablecoins and other digital assets at the point of sale. Backed by Tether and Cantor Fitzgerald, Lydian offers same-day settlement in local currencies and removes volatility and compliance risks, turning digital assets into real-world spending power.
This is the first Digital Asset Appetite Index, and there is much more to come. Full regional data is available on request, so get in touch to dig deeper into the findings.
