Emerging economies are the driving force in the use of cryptos
According to a new Barclays index, some of the less developed markets are registering very high levels of crypto participation. The population of geographies such as Asia, Latin America and Eastern Europe uses cryptocurrencies as a practical response to problems such as inflation or geopolitical crises.
Barclays' new Crypto Intensity Indicator (CII) shows that some less developed markets have high levels of crypto participation. The United States is the largest crypto market by volume, with over $630 billion in spot crypto and stablecoin transactions in the first half of 2026, but adoption is shifting to emerging economies. Countries such as Korea, India, Turkey, Brazil, Vietnam, and Ukraine have significant crypto markets, with the latter driven by factors like remittances, inflation, and geopolitical uncertainty.
In emerging economies, cryptocurrencies are being used as a practical response to economic problems, such as sending remittances and protecting against inflation.
Written by urgent.news from Expansion ES's report — not a translation of it. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
