Crypto wallets gaining ground as everyday finance tools

Self-custodial crypto wallets are increasingly being used as all-in-one financial platforms rather than tools limited to trading, with data from Bitget Wallet showing a notable expansion in payments and yield products alongside strong decentralized trading activity.

This trend highlights the growing overlap between crypto wallets, traditional digital payment tools and even neobank-style services as adoption broadens in 2025.

Bitget Wallet's activity metrics through 2025 reveal robust on-chain engagement across multiple use cases. Swap trading volume on the platform regularly surpassed $900 million per month, a 232 percent year-on-year increase, while perpetual derivatives trading neared $5 billion monthly, up 291 percent from the prior year.

These figures reflect broader industry momentum toward decentralized trading and automated market access outside centralized exchanges. Over the year, SQ Magazine reported, decentralized perpetual trading's share of total volume climbed to 18.7 percent, marking a significant shift in execution preferences. SQ Magazine

Payments and stablecoins gain momentum

However, the most striking developments stem from payments and spending. Since Bitget Wallet Card's launch in July 2025, monthly spending volume through the card has increased more than sixfold, Bitget stated, adding that it has also rolled out support for national QR payment systems, direct bank transfers in selected regions, and in-app crypto shopping options.

These enhancements mirror wider stablecoin adoption trends, supported by growing infrastructure and broader institutional interest in stablecoins as real-world rails for payments and settlements, Bitget noted.

The rise of stablecoins as a payment mechanism is increasingly recognized beyond crypto-native communities. Traditional payment networks and fintechs are integrating stablecoin support, with Mastercard and other major players embedding stablecoin capabilities into existing card rails, and banks exploring regulated stablecoin issuance following U.S. legislation like the GENIUS Act.

Wallets edge closer to digital banking models

Demand for yield products within wallets is also growing, according to Bitget, which stated its wallet's earn offerings recorded quarterly subscription volumes approaching $200 million as users sought predictable stablecoin-linked returns amid broader market caution. This shift, Bitget continued, signals that wallets are evolving to encompass savings, spending and investment functions within a single user experience, a model increasingly compared to digital banks that blend checking, savings, and payment features.

Despite these gains, broader consumer adoption still trails that of mainstream digital wallets. Research shows that only a minority of U.S. adults find Web3 crypto wallets intuitive or aligned with everyday money-management habits, in contrast to the widespread use of digital wallets like Apple Pay and PayPal. This adoption gap underscores the challenge wallets face in transitioning from niche crypto tools to everyday financial infrastructure, Bitget pointed out.

As wallets weave more payment rails, yield tools and fiat-crypto integrations together, the line between decentralized finance and everyday digital banking continues to blur. For merchants, issuers and consumers alike, the evolution of self-custodial wallets into multi-purpose financial platforms may represent a pivotal phase in the broader mainstreaming of blockchain-based services.

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