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Stablecoins split roles as payments and DeFi settlement demand rises

Dune data shows USDT handled $95 billion in identified commercial payments in the first half of 2026, while USDC is tied to large onchain transfer volumes across Base and Ethereum.

Reported · Written up by our desk · Stablecoins

Stablecoins are increasingly finding specialized uses as regulation reshapes the market, according to Cointelegraph, with new Dune data indicating Tether’s USDT and Circle’s USDC are dominating different parts of crypto activity rather than competing directly. Dune’s figures show USDT is the leading payments stablecoin, settling $95 billion in identified commercial payments during the first half of 2026 and continuing to support business-to-business transfers. USDC, by contrast, has cemented its role as a preferred settlement asset for DeFi, processing trillions of dollars in monthly transfer volume across Base and Ethereum. Cointelegraph also points to growing demand for MiCA-compliant euro stablecoins as the stablecoin economy broadens beyond a US dollar-centric setup. In other developments highlighted in Crypto Biz, Strategy reentered debate around its “never sell” approach after selling more than $200 million in Bitcoin to fund shareholder dividends. Cointelegraph reports that Strategy sold 3,588 Bitcoin worth $216 million for preferred stock dividends, its largest sale since using BTC as a treasury asset. The sale reduced its holdings to 843,775 BTC, and the company kept a $2.55 billion cash reserve under a new capital framework that allows Bitcoin sales to support dividend payments.

Latest closeBitcoin $64,019.05 ▲1.3%|Ethereum $1,794.57 ▲2.9%

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