71% of Consumers Look to Stablecoins to Shield Against Devaluation, Lydian Research Reveals

Lydian’s inaugural Digital Asset Appetite Index reveals that over three-quarters of consumers in key emerging markets are prepared to use stablecoins for daily transactions. For fintech professionals, this signals a massive shift in payment preferences across regions where inflation and high remittance costs are driving users toward digital assets for everything from groceries to rent.

What was announced

Lydian’s research surveyed 7,500 people across Argentina, Kenya, Indonesia, the Philippines, and the United Arab Emirates to understand the shift toward digital asset usage. The findings show a high propensity for stablecoin adoption: 76% of respondents expressed a likelihood to use stablecoins for everyday purchases like coffee, groceries, and transit. Furthermore, 73% indicated they would use these assets for recurring expenses such as rent, utilities, and tuition. Retailer choice is also being influenced by these preferences, with 72% of consumers stating they would actively select a merchant that offers stablecoin payment options alongside traditional cash and card methods.

The primary catalysts for this shift are economic instability and the high cost of legacy financial systems. Specifically, 76% of those surveyed reported that inflation had diminished their purchasing power over the last year, while 71% considered a payment method that protects against currency devaluation to be vital. Beyond local spending, 73% of respondents would utilize stablecoins for international transactions to bypass foreign exchange markups and traditional bank fees. These figures suggest that in frontier and emerging markets, stablecoins are transitioning from speculative assets to functional tools for financial preservation and daily commerce.

"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. This Index supports that trend, but also highlights how significant the appetite for adoption is. We’re not talking about random, one-off stablecoin purchases but a full spectrum of payments - from morning coffee to monthly rent."

Carl Grimstad, CEO at Lydian

The companies involved

Lydian is a payments specialist that operates with the backing of Tether and Cantor Fitzgerald. The company focuses on the intersection of digital assets and everyday commerce, particularly in regions where traditional financial infrastructure faces challenges. Tether and Cantor Fitzgerald provide the institutional and technical foundation for Lydian’s operations. Lydian’s market position is defined by its focus on emerging and frontier economies, such as those in Southeast Asia, Africa, and the Middle East, where there is a documented demand for alternatives to legacy banking systems. By providing tools that allow digital assets to be used for real-world transactions, the company addresses specific pain points related to currency volatility and transaction costs. This positioning allows Lydian to serve a consumer base that is increasingly looking toward digital wallets as a primary financial hub, rather than a secondary investment vehicle. The company has been the subject of several reports by FF News, reflecting its active role in the evolving digital payments landscape.

What FF News has reported before

FF News has followed Lydian’s recent efforts to expand the utility of digital assets in the retail sector. We recently covered how Lydian Research: 72% of Consumers Favor Merchants Accepting Stablecoins, a precursor to the broader index released today. Additionally, the firm has been active on the product side, as seen when Lydian Pay Launches Mobile App to Bring Digital Asset Payments to Small Business POS, enabling smartphones to function as crypto-ready point-of-sale terminals. Our coverage also extends to Lydian’s backers; for instance, we reported on how Mural Secures $15M Series A Led by Tether to Scale Agentic Finance Infrastructure, highlighting Tether’s broader strategy of investing in the plumbing of the digital economy.

What this means

The data suggests that the "killer app" for stablecoins in emerging markets is not speculation, but basic financial utility. When over 70% of consumers in high-growth regions express a preference for merchants that accept digital assets, it signals a shift that legacy payment providers cannot ignore. The pressure is now on traditional banks and card networks to either lower the barriers to entry—such as FX fees and transaction costs—or risk losing significant market share to digital-first alternatives. This research raises critical questions about the speed of regulatory adaptation in these regions and whether the existing financial "plumbing" can be retrofitted to compete with the efficiency of blockchain-based rails.