Stablecoin transactions in the retail segment have reached record levels in 2025, with volumes already surpassing last year’s total by August, a CEX.io report noted. Retail-sized transfers, counting transactions under $250, crossed $5.84 billion in August alone, the highest ever recorded, according to data by Visa and Allium cited in the report. With nearly four months left in the year, 2025 has already become the busiest period yet for stablecoin transfer volume at the consumer level. Survey data from emerging markets, asking over 2,600 consumer in Nigeria, India, Bangladesh, Pakistan and Indonesia, reinforced this picture, CEX.io analysts. A majority of respondents said they turned to stablecoins to avoid high banking fees and slow transfers, the report said. Nearly 70% of them reported using stablecoins more frequently than last year, and more than three-quarters expect usage to keep rising, the report said. The distribution of activity among blockchains have shifted, the report noted. The Tron blockchain, traditionally popular for retail transfers due to its low fees and wide support for Tether’s USDT (USDT), has given up market share. Monthly transaction counts fell by 1.3 million, or 6%, and its growth in volume lagged behind its closest competitors. In its place, Binance Smart Chain (BSC) emerged as the top choice for retail users, capturing nearly 40% of retail stablecoin activity, the report said. The network’s transaction count jumped 75% this year with transfer volume rising 67%. Much of the momentum came after Binance delisted USDT in March for European users and a resurgence of memecoin trading on PancakeSwap on BSC. The Ethereum complex, with the base chain and layer-2 networks combined, made up over 20% of transfer volume and 31% of transaction counts, the report noted. While small transfers largely took place on L2s, the mainnet enjoyed a significant rise in the retail segment. Sub-$250 transfers on the mainnet rose 81% in volume and 184% in count.