USDT specializing in payments, USDC in DeFi, says report

Stablecoins USDT and USDC are increasingly specializing in payments and decentralized finance (DeFi), respectively, rather than competing directly, Cointelegraph reported, citing an analysis by Dune. According to the report, USDT processed approximately $95 billion in commercial payments in the first half of 2026, far exceeding USDC's $14 billion. It also accounted for about 92% of the total $480 billion in business-to-business payments. On Tron (TRX), USDT's largest network, around 93% of its supply is held in non-exchange wallets, indicating its use for remittances and payments. In contrast, USDC has shown strength in the DeFi sector. As of June, its transfer volume on Base reached $2.6 trillion, the highest of any token on the chain, while its volume on Ethereum was $1.6 trillion. Together, USDT and USDC represent about 83% of the approximately $315 billion stablecoin market.