The report Crypto Landscape in Latin America – First Half 2025 published by Bitso – one of the largest crypto exchanges in the Latin American region – reveals a notable trend: XRP, Ripple's digital asset, has grown strongly and surpassed ETH to become the second most held coin in the region.
Bitcoin still leads, but XRP is rising strongly
According to data from the markets in which Bitso operates directly, including Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, and Mexico, Bitcoin still dominates, appearing in 54% of Latin American investors' portfolios. However, XRP has surpassed ETH to claim the second position, appearing in 12% of accounts held at Bitso.
ETH falls to third place with 11%, while stablecoins and local currency account for 12%. Other cryptocurrencies like Solana (SOL) and memecoins make up less than 5% of the portfolio.
Notably, XRP has a higher acceptance level in countries where BTC holdings are lower, such as Mexico (BTC 55% compared to XRP 13%) and Colombia (BTC 49% compared to XRP 10%).
Stablecoins continue to lead trading activity
In terms of trading volume, stablecoins remain the most traded asset, accounting for 46% of total transactions across the region, up from 39% in 2024. The two leading stablecoins – USDC and USDT – hold equal shares at 23%.
Bitso notes that the steady growth of stablecoins in Latin America is due to the increasing number of practical applications in daily life.
In Argentina, stablecoins participate in 85% of total cryptocurrency purchase transactions, with USDT overwhelmingly leading at 78%. This is attributed to the unstable economic situation and the public's preference for the USD, along with the ability to purchase digital USD 24/7 that Bitso provides.
