The landscape of cryptocurrency usage is undergoing a profound transformation as new demographics embrace digital assets for everyday needs rather than ideological reasons. According to Louise Ivan, co-founder and CEO of Ryder, the entry of users from emerging markets is reshaping how crypto technology must evolve, particularly in the domain of security.
Gone are the days when crypto was mainly the playground of early adopters, tech enthusiasts, and advocates of decentralized finance philosophies. Recent data from the third quarter of 2025 reveals that stablecoins, such as Tether’s USDT and Circle’s USDC, now represent around 40% of total crypto transaction volume globally. This surge is largely fueled by users from regions like Southeast Asia, Africa, and Latin America, where traditional banking systems may be slow, costly, or unreliable.
These new participants typically approach cryptocurrency with practical intentions—for cross-border remittances, small retail payments, or paying for daily essentials—rather than as a means of ideological freedom or speculative investment. In fact, average stablecoin transfers in these emerging markets typically range from $100 to $500, fulfilling multibillion-dollar international remittance demands each year.
The Philippines, a major remittance hub, exemplifies this trend. Crypto adoption among Filipinos has risen from 17.8% in 2024 to 22.5% in 2025, driven largely by the need for affordable, fast money transfers and the rise of play-to-earn gaming. Similar patterns emerge in countries such as Nigeria, Vietnam, India, Brazil, and Pakistan, where on-ramps through centralized exchanges and peer-to-peer platforms reflect growing grassroots crypto activity focused on stablecoins and their reliability.
This shift towards practicality introduces new security challenges. Many newcomers prioritize utility and ease of use over deep technical understanding or self-custody protocols. Unlike early adopters accustomed to securing their assets with private keys and seed phrases, these users prefer custodial wallets managed by exchanges or platforms. While such wallets simplify access, they diverge from the original crypto mantra of “not your keys, not your coins” and can introduce centralized risk.
The traditional warning—“lose your seed phrase, lose your crypto”—has limited resonance for someone who might be using crypto primarily for everyday expenses like groceries. This gap poses an adoption barrier; if users fear losing access to essential funds due to complex security requirements, their confidence and trust in crypto diminish.
As a result, industry experts argue that security in crypto must be seamlessly integrated into the user experience rather than handled as an afterthought or complex responsibility shouldered solely by the user. Platforms will need to strike a balance: offering intuitive custody solutions with robust protection, enabling wide accessibility without sacrificing security. Several companies are already innovating towards native security architectures and user-friendly protocols tailored for this next generation of crypto participants.
In essence, the changing demographics of crypto usage demand a fundamental rethinking of how security is designed and delivered. Meeting the practical needs of a diverse, global user base requires solutions that maintain safety without sacrificing simplicity—paving the way for broader adoption and the sustained growth of the crypto ecosystem.
