From 'Hold' to 'Use': Why More Users Are Choosing Spend-Ready Wallets in 2026

Something fundamental is changing in how people use cryptocurrency. For years, crypto wallets were digital safes where people stored coins and hoped the value would rise. But throughout 2025 and into 2026, a clear pattern has emerged. More users are choosing wallets not for storing value, but for spending it.

The numbers tell a striking story. Stablecoin transaction volume reached an estimated $33 trillion in 2025, which is more than 20 times the volume of PayPal and nearly three times the volume of Visa, one of the world's largest payment networks. Meanwhile, Visa-linked crypto card spending jumped 525% last year, climbing from $14.6 million to $91.3 million.
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This is not about price speculation anymore. This is about people using crypto like money.

The Shift From Speculation to Daily Use
"The data from 2025 points to a clear shift in how wallets are used," explained Jamie Elkaleh, CMO of Bitget Wallet, a major player in the crypto wallet space. "They are increasingly functioning as everyday finance apps, where users trade, spend, and manage money directly on the blockchain".
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Bitget Wallet's own numbers back this up. Their crypto card monthly spending volume grew more than six times since launching in July 2025. Payment features continued growing even when the broader crypto market cooled toward the end of the year, suggesting that real-world usage is becoming independent from price speculation.
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This trend is happening globally. The Asia-Pacific region saw crypto adoption grow 69% year over year, with total transaction volume reaching $2.36 trillion. Latin America followed close behind with 63% growth, while Sub-Saharan Africa grew 52%, driven largely by everyday payments and remittances.
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"Crypto adoption is truly global now," according to recent research from Chainalysis. "The current wave benefits mature markets with clearer rules and institutional support, as well as emerging markets where remittances, dollar access through stablecoins, and mobile-first finance continue to accelerate".
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Why Stablecoins Changed Everything
A major reason for this shift is stablecoins, digital currencies tied to the US dollar that avoid the wild price swings of Bitcoin or Ethereum. When you pay for something with USDT or USDC, you know exactly how much you are spending because one stablecoin equals one dollar.

These stable digital dollars are being integrated into cross-border payment services, used as collateral on derivatives exchanges, added to corporate balance sheets, and increasingly accepted as an alternative to credit cards for online consumer payments.

"Stablecoins are fundamentally shifting from a niche financial tool to the foundational settlement layer for the internet," wrote Jeremy Zhang of a16z crypto in a recent industry report. "A new generation of startups is filling gaps by linking stablecoins to more familiar payment systems and local currencies. They are building truly interoperable global wallet layers and card-issuing platforms that let users spend stablecoins at everyday merchants."

This infrastructure is maturing quickly. Workers can now be paid in real time across borders. Merchants can accept global dollars without bank accounts. Apps can settle value instantly with users anywhere.
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The Rise of Spend-Ready Wallets
Traditional crypto wallets were built for one purpose: hold your coins safely and maybe trade them occasionally. The new generation of wallets does much more. They let you buy coffee, pay bills, book travel, and shop online using your crypto balance.

Oppi Wallet represents this practical approach. The wallet combines secure self-custody with real spending features that people actually use. Every user gets a free virtual Mastercard immediately after setup, which works anywhere Mastercard is accepted worldwide. There is also a physical VISA card available for in-store purchases.

But the spending features go deeper. Oppi Wallet includes integrated travel booking that lets users search for flights and hotels, compare prices, and complete bookings using Bitcoin, Ethereum, USDT, or any of the 40+ supported cryptocurrencies. Users save 3% to 5% on international trips by avoiding foreign transaction fees and poor currency conversion rates that traditional credit cards charge.

"People told us they held significant amounts of crypto but found it frustrating to actually use," said the Oppi Wallet team. "They had to sell their crypto, transfer to their bank, wait days for the money to arrive, and pay fees at every step. That process made no sense when crypto is supposed to be global, instant money. We built Oppi Wallet to skip all those steps."

What the Data Shows About User Behavior
The shift from holding to spending shows up clearly in wallet usage statistics. Monthly swap trading volume on major wallets exceeded $900 million in 2025, up 232% year over year. But more tellingly, payment and earning features kept growing even when trading activity slowed, showing that people want wallets for daily financial tasks, not just speculation.
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Demand for yield products also rose. Quarterly subscription volume for earning products approached $200 million, expanding more than tenfold from the start of 2025. Users want their money to work for them, whether through spending, earning, or both.
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Corporate adoption reinforces this trend. At least 172 publicly traded companies held Bitcoin in the third quarter of 2025, up 40% from the previous quarter. These companies hold roughly one million Bitcoin, about 5% of circulating supply. But they are not just holding it. They are using Bitcoin as collateral, for treasury management, and increasingly for payments.
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Why This Matters for Everyday People
For most people, the technical details of blockchain do not matter. What matters is whether crypto can solve real problems in their lives.

A freelancer in the Philippines can now receive payment from a US client instantly, without losing 5% to 10% in wire transfer fees and currency conversion. A digital nomad traveling through Europe can pay for hotels and meals without getting hit with foreign transaction fees on every purchase. A small business owner can accept payments from customers worldwide without needing a merchant account or paying credit card processing fees.

These are not theoretical use cases. This is happening right now, at scale, with billions of dollars flowing through payment-focused wallets every month.

"Fewer than 10% of retailers currently support crypto payments," notes recent fintech research. "But that is changing as the infrastructure matures and more practical wallets make spending as easy as using a credit card."
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The Road Ahead
Industry experts predict 2026 will be the year stablecoins and crypto payments move fully into the mainstream. The infrastructure is ready. The wallets are easy to use. The savings compared to traditional banking are too significant to ignore.

"This pattern suggests crypto startups are finding clearer product-market fit, driven by enterprise and retail demand rather than fragile speculation," according to financial analysis from Silicon Valley Bank.
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For users, the message is simple. The best crypto wallet in 2026 is not the one with the most features or the fanciest interface. It is the one that actually lets you use your crypto without friction, without excessive fees, and without needing a computer science degree to understand how it works.

Oppi Wallet built their entire platform around this principle. Self-custody security protects your assets. Multi-chain support gives you flexibility. Free virtual cards, physical spending cards, and travel booking turn your crypto into practical money. Zero foreign transaction fees mean you keep more of what you spend. And most importantly, setup takes 10 minutes and requires no technical knowledge.

As one industry observer put it: "People used to think of crypto wallets as digital safes. Now they are thinking of them as digital wallets in the traditional sense, something you carry with you and use every day."

That shift from holding to using might be the most important development in crypto's history. Because technology only matters when it solves real problems for real people.

Visit Oppi Wallet here:
https://oppiwallet.com/en
More details for Oppi Wallet's Virtual Crypto Card:
https://oppiwallet.com/en/virtual-crypto-card
More details for Oppi Wallet's Travel with Crypto feature:
https://oppiwallet.com/en/travel-with-crypto
Download Oppi Wallet for iOS here:
https://apps.apple.com/app/oppi-wallet/id6502544148
Download Oppi Wallet for Android here:
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.oppi.wallet

116/52 Piotrkowska Street, 90-006 Łódź, Republic of Poland

About Oppi Wallet
Oppi Wallet is a self-custody, multi-chain cryptocurrency wallet designed for real-world utility. Supporting over 40 major cryptocurrencies across Ethereum, Binance Smart Chain, TRON, Solana, and Polygon, Oppi Wallet offers free virtual cards, physical VISA cards, integrated travel booking, and transparent swap fees. The company focuses on making cryptocurrency practical for everyday use, particularly for international travelers, digital nomads, freelancers, and anyone who wants to use their crypto without excessive fees or technical complexity.

This release was published on openPR.