Stablecoins are quietly taking a bigger role in traditional finance trading. Binance CEO Richard Teng said perpetual futures tied to stocks and bonds already account for roughly 10% of total stablecoin trading volume on the exchange.
In a post on X on June 22, Teng noted that these TradFi-linked derivatives settle in stablecoins around the clock. That bypasses the operating-hour restrictions of conventional stock markets and bank settlement systems, letting users complete trades and finalize payments faster than traditional rails allow.
The cost advantage is concrete. Teng said stablecoin-based settlement saves users an average of 3.6% – or about $40 – per trade in withdrawal fees and foreign-exchange costs. For frequent traders moving in and out of tokenized equities or bond-linked perpetuals, those savings add up quickly.
Perpetual futures are derivatives with no expiration date, allowing traders to hold leveraged positions indefinitely. Usually they track crypto assets like Bitcoin. But increasingly, exchanges are listing perpetuals pegged to traditional stocks, ETFs, and indexes. Teng’s comment suggests that segment now commands meaningful stablecoin volume – a shift from the crypto-native trading that has dominated perpetual markets until now.
Tokenized stocks and TradFi-linked derivatives are proliferating across multiple platforms. As that supply grows, stablecoin use is expanding beyond pure cryptocurrency trading into the settlement of real-world asset transactions. Market participants point to the 24/7 settlement cycle as a key driver: investors can react to after-hours news without waiting for the next market open.
The data aligns with a broader trend. A number of exchanges now offer perpetual futures on names like Tesla, Apple, or the S&P 500, often settled in USDT or USDC. This blurs the line between crypto and traditional markets, even as regulatory frameworks lag behind.
What to watch next: whether the 10% share grows as more tokenized stock products launch and as traditional brokers explore stablecoin rails for cross-border settlement. The cost savings are real, but regulatory scrutiny around stablecoin issuance and derivative licensing could determine how fast this crossover accelerates.
Stablecoin trading volume rises as traditional finance contracts use stablecoins for payments
Stablecoins are increasingly used to settle continuous contracts based on stocks and bonds on Binance, allowing faster, cheaper trades. This shift affects traders seeking lower fees and quicker transactions than traditional markets offer.