Bitcoin Dominates Real-World Payments, Says Coingate

In 2025, bitcoin was not content to be just a store of value. It established itself as a central tool in digital payments. According to a Coingate report, it dominates the market again with 22.1 % of transactions, driven by increasing adoption by businesses. This renewed interest marks a strategic turning point. Crypto is no longer on the sidelines, it is now integrated into real economic flows.

Dominance by usage

Bitcoin closed the year 2025 with 22.1 % market share in crypto payments, reclaiming first place according to a Coingate study, despite its drop below $90,000.

This resurgence of dominance is explained by an evolution of uses. “Rather than being solely a means of payment at checkout, crypto has taken root in the daily flows of businesses”, the report emphasizes.

BTC thus establishes itself as a multifunctional tool, used both to receive customer payments and to settle balances or manage treasury. Its strength lies in the combined efficiency of its mainnet and the Lightning Network, which formed the most used payment infrastructures during the year.

Several other assets also gained visibility during the year, without overshadowing BTC :

• Litecoin remained the third most used crypto, with a temporary push to second place mid-year ;
• TRON (TRX) saw its overall share rise from 9.1 % to 11.5 %, representing 58.5 % of payments made on its own network ;
• Ethereum increased from 8.9 % to 10.6 %, boosted by its use in stablecoin transactions and the rise of its Layer 2 solutions like Polygon, Arbitrum, and Base.

Crypto, treasury and B2B payments : the other transformation

Beyond market shares, it is the behavior of businesses towards cryptos that is undergoing a profound transformation.

According to Coingate, the rate of crypto settlements rose from 27 % to 37.5 %, reflecting a growing willingness of merchants to keep their holdings in cryptos or stablecoins, rather than converting them instantly into fiat.

This trend marks a turning point. Thus, cryptos are now considered a value management lever, and no longer merely as a transactional tool. Companies also use BTC, ETH, and USDC to pay their providers, partners, and affiliates, integrating crypto into their outgoing payment strategies.

This shift is not limited to payment types. It also manifests geographically, with a clear dominance of Europe, followed by North America, Asia, Africa, and South America. The United States remain the leader in volume, but the Netherlands have joined the top three, while Nigeria confirms its status as a dynamic market. In economies under pressure or with high digital adoption, crypto is seen as a structural alternative to traditional banking systems.

As uses evolve and companies integrate crypto into their financial management, institutional wallets strengthen their position. This dynamic confirms a lasting transition: bitcoin, and more broadly cryptos, are establishing themselves as credible components of the global economy.