A new report reveals that monthly active crypto app users in Latin America grew by about 18% year-over-year in 2025, nearly three times the rate in the United States. Practical uses like payments and cross-border transfers fueled this expansion. The Lemon report highlights utility-driven adoption as a key distinction from speculative trends elsewhere.
The Lemon report on Latin American crypto adoption in 2025 underscores a robust surge in the region, outstripping growth in the United States. Monthly active crypto app users increased approximately 18% year-over-year, compared to a slower pace in the US. This growth stemmed primarily from real-world applications, such as payments and cross-border transfers, rather than speculation.
Brazil led as the largest market by transaction volume, receiving $318.8 billion in crypto value that year—a 250% rise from the previous period. Institutional trading and improved regulations for financial institutions drove this uptick.
In Argentina, crypto use persisted despite annual inflation dropping to around 32%. Average monthly active users reached four times the levels of the 2021 bull market. Cross-border payments were central, with local fintech firms linking crypto rails to Brazil’s PIX system. This allowed users to pay Brazilian merchants in pesos, with USDT handling backend settlements. Consequently, Argentina saw 5.4 million crypto app downloads in 2025, including a record for January.
Peru also stood out for rapid expansion. In January 2025, Bybit Pay integrated with popular digital wallets Yape and Plin. New interoperability rules enabled direct connections between banks and wallets, resulting in over 540 million transactions— a 120% year-over-year increase. Crypto app users in Peru doubled during the year.
Stablecoins were pivotal region-wide, serving as digital dollars for remittances, PayPal receipts, and bypassing traditional banks. The Lemon report emphasizes this practical demand as defining Latin America’s crypto landscape.