Consumer Interest in Stablecoins at 46% in Asia, but Only 16% Use Them

46% of consumers in the Asia Pacific region expect to use stablecoins within the next five years.

Only 16% have done so in the past year, reveals a new survey by Visa on consumer interest in stablecoins in Asia Pacific.

• Key Points
• Consumer interest in stablecoins is growing in Asia Pacific
• High awareness, still low understanding
• Trust and regulatory preferences guide next steps
• Visa's role in transforming interest into everyday use

Key Points

• Nearly one in two consumers in the region (46%) expects to use stablecoins in the next five years, compared to just 16% who have already done so.
• 66% are familiar with the term "stablecoin," but only 6% can correctly explain how it works.
• 41% mistakenly believe that the value of stablecoins always increases.
• Among those who know about stablecoins but do not use them, 38% fear fraud or scams.
• The study involved 14,250 people across 14 Asia Pacific markets between June and July 2026.

Growing Consumer Interest in Stablecoins in Asia Pacific

Consumer interest in stablecoins in Asia Pacific is rapidly increasing, although most people in the region still do not fully understand how these digital tokens work. Visa presented the results of the Consumer 360 survey, based on responses from 14,250 consumers aged 18 to 65 across 14 markets, including mainland China, India, Japan, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam, and Australia. The field survey was conducted between June and July 2026.

46% of respondents say they are likely to adopt stablecoins within five years, compared to just 16% who have actually used them in the previous 12 months.

Interest is not limited to trading. Consumers increasingly see stablecoins as useful for everyday online purchases, travel expenses, and shopping abroad. Cross-border payments emerge as a particularly strong use case: 49% of respondents believe that stablecoins could become a common way to send money across borders within five years, a result that opens up prospects for remittances and international transfers.

High Awareness, Still Low Understanding

Stablecoins have become a familiar term, but familiarity does not equate to understanding. According to Visa's data, 66% of consumers in Asia Pacific are aware of stablecoins, but only 6% demonstrate a true understanding of how they work.

This knowledge gap translates into persistent misconceptions. About 41% of consumers mistakenly believe that the value of stablecoins always increases. 49% of those who know about stablecoins still think they are only for buying or selling other cryptocurrencies, indicating that many people have not connected these tokens to everyday payments.

Trust and Regulatory Preferences Guide Next Steps

Among those who know about stablecoins but have never used them, 38% cite fear of fraud or scams, while 36% simply state that they do not understand the technology well enough. These numbers suggest that education and security, not just awareness campaigns, will determine the speed of adoption.

When asked who they would prefer as a provider of stablecoin-related services, consumers showed a preference for regulated players. Entities linked to governments or central banks received the highest preference at 27%, followed by regulated banks or financial institutions at 26%.

Visa's Role in Transforming Interest into Everyday Use

Visa stated that it is working with banks, regulated financial institutions, and payment partners to integrate stablecoin-related functionalities into the payment experiences that consumers already know and trust. The company has indicated that this collaboration is central to bridging the gap between consumer interest in stablecoins and actual everyday use.

"We are seeing a significant shift in how consumers in Asia Pacific think about stablecoins," said Nischint Sanghavi, head of digital currencies for Asia Pacific at Visa. "Consumers are beginning to understand how stablecoins could support the ways they already spend and move money, especially through online purchases, travel, and cross-border transfers. The opportunity now is to transform that interest into reliable and familiar payment experiences that work at scale."

Sanghavi added that the research "confirms what we have been working towards," explaining that consumers want stablecoins to "feel like a natural part of the payments they already trust, not a separate system," and that Visa's role is to connect the technology to secure and familiar payment experiences that people rely on every day.

Commissioned in 2026, the Visa Consumer 360 study conducted the field survey between June and July in mainland China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Japan, Korea, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, the Philippines, Vietnam, India, Australia, and New Zealand.