CoinGate 2025 Report: Crypto Payments Shift to Operational Use

CoinGate’s 2025 data reveals a fundamental shift in transaction patterns, marking what the report terms a ‘structural reset.’ The platform processed 1.42 million crypto payments during the year, bringing its lifetime total to over seven million. However, the headline figure of adjusted transaction volumes—primarily due to the phased discontinuation of the stablecoin USDT—masks a more significant trend. Usage is consolidating around fewer, higher-value transactions with more predictable payment patterns, indicating businesses are moving beyond testing and into serious operational deployment.

This reset is most evident in the changing hierarchy of cryptocurrencies. Bitcoin reclaimed its position as the most-used asset on the platform, accounting for 22.1% of all payments and overtaking USDT. Meanwhile, Litecoin solidified its role as a reliable payment rail, securing the third spot with a 14.4% share. The most dramatic change, however, occurred within the stablecoin sector, which still represented 29.8% of all payments. Here, USDC emerged as the dominant force, with its order volume skyrocketing by 1264% year-over-year as businesses pivoted toward assets perceived as more predictable and compliant amid evolving global regulations.

The most telling data points concern how merchants are now treating cryptocurrency. It is no longer merely a pass-through payment method but is increasingly held and used as operational capital. This is clear in settlement behavior: the proportion of payments settled in crypto jumped from 27% in 2024 to 37.5% in 2025. More specifically, settlements in stablecoins rose from 16.7% to 25.2%, with USDC’s share exploding from a negligible 0.01% to 12.6% year-over-year.

This trend toward using crypto for treasury management and outbound payments is reinforced by payout data. USDC accounted for a staggering 83.4% of all payouts in 2025, establishing itself as the preferred currency for business disbursements. The functionality of CoinGate’s FX payout tools highlights this preference: 85.4% of EUR-based payouts were converted directly into USDC at the moment of transaction. Once in USDC, the assets tended to stay there, with 96.8% of USDC payouts remaining in that form, indicating a strong business preference for stability and limited asset switching.

The integration of crypto into standard business workflows is perhaps best demonstrated by the widespread adoption of automation. In 2025, 85% of merchants executed payouts via API, embedding crypto transactions directly into their financial systems rather than handling them manually. This shift underscores that crypto payments are transitioning from a manual, niche process into production-grade financial infrastructure, essential for efficiency and scale.

Concurrent with this operational maturity is regulatory progress. A key milestone for CoinGate in 2025 was obtaining authorization under the European Union’s Markets in Crypto-Assets (MiCA) framework from the Bank of Lithuania. This license places the Vilnius-based company within a unified European regulatory regime, providing crucial legal clarity for businesses operating crypto payments and payouts across borders. The MiCA authorization acts as a foundational pillar, supporting the broader trend of standardization and trust that the report documents.

Taken together, CoinGate’s 2025 report paints a picture of a market entering a new, more mature phase. The data suggests crypto payments are not disappearing but are becoming more embedded, operational, and standardized. From Bitcoin’s resurgence and USDC’s dominance to automated APIs and MiCA compliance, the trajectory is clear: cryptocurrency is evolving from a novel payment option into a integral component of modern business finance.