Originally published by CoinDesk
One point three billion adults lack financial services, 4.7 billion lack credit, and 1.4 billion savers in low-income nations earn no deposit interest, Binance said.
Emerging markets are driving crypto adoption, accounting for 77% of Binance users in 2026, Binance said in a report. Users treat exchanges as “shadow banks” for savings, payments, and investments.
Crypto platforms fill a financial access gap. One point three billion adults lack financial services, 4.7 billion lack credit, and 1.4 billion savers in low-income nations earn no deposit interest, Binance said.
Stablecoins are central, enabling low-cost ($0.0001) and instant remittances/savings, but institutions like Moody’s warn of financial-resilience and monetary-sovereignty risks.
Emerging markets accounted for 77% of Binance users in 2026, up from 49% in 2020, as users in those countries increasingly used the exchange for savings, payments and investment access, the exchange said.
Binance Research’slatest reportframes crypto adoption as a financial-access story rather than a trading story. Binance said 83% of users engaging with two or more products on the platform are based in emerging markets, while users in those markets show savings rates more than twice as high as users in developed markets.
About 36% of emerging-market Binance users with balances of at least $10 hold at least half of their portfolio in stablecoins, according to the report, which points to the pattern as “consistent with savings-oriented usage.” Globally, 28% of users meet that threshold, up from 4% in 2020.
The data points to growing use of crypto platforms as substitute financial infrastructure in markets where banking access remains limited.
TheWorld Banksays 1.3 billion adults still lack access to financial services, while 900 million unbanked adults own a mobile phone and 530 million own a smartphone.
Binance said 4.7 billion adults lack access to credit or loans, 3.6 billion adults in low- and middle-income countries do not use digital payments or cards, and 1.4 billion savers in those countries earn no interest on deposits.
Stablecoins are central to the argument. Binance said transfers on high-performance networks can cost as little as $0.0001 and settle almost instantly, compared with a minimum of $20 for cross-border SWIFT transactions. The World Bank’sRemittance Prices Worldwidedatabase puts the global average remittance cost above the UN target of less than 3%.
Stablecoins are, in fact, increasingly being used in emerging markets for remittances, savings and cross-border commerce, while also drawing warnings from Moody’s, the IMF and other institutions overmonetary-sovereignty and financial-resilience risks.
Data from Brazil’s tax authority, for example, has shownstablecoins drive 90% of the country’s crypto volume.
Trump Media’s Q1 loss widens to $406 million on bitcoin, CRO markdowns
The loss was primarily driven by $244 million in unrealized losses on cryptocurrency holdings and an additional $108.2 million investment loss.
Trump Media reported a Q1 net loss of $405.9 million on $871,200 in revenue, widening significantly from $31.7 million a year earlier.
The loss was primarily driven by $244 million in unrealized losses on cryptocurrency holdings and an additional $108.2 million investment loss.
As of March, DJT held 9,542.16 bitcoin…
Trump Media’s Q1 loss widens to $406 million on bitcoin, CRO markdowns
Sports betting should be regulated as a financial product, not gambling, aspiring prediction market provider says
It might be too late for bitcoin’s quantum migration, Project Eleven report argues
Crypto industry cheers Senate Clarity Act markup date as market structure push resumes
Swiss central bank bitcoin reserve push fails over signature shortfall
CME is set to let traders bet on bitcoin volatility, not just price
LayerZero says it ‘made a mistake’ in $292 Million Kelp exploit
BlackRock deepens tokenization push with new onchain fund offerings
Senate Banking Committee plans to hold key market structure hearing on Thursday
Judge clears path for Aave to move $71 million in ETH linked to North Korea hack
SEC chair Atkins signals new rules for onchain markets, AI-driven finance
Kraken parent goes for the OCC charter in bid to become a federal crypto bank
As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases at no extra cost to you.