MEXC's average daily stock futures volume in Asia experienced a dramatic 3,308% quarter-over-quarter increase during the second quarter, according to Blockworks Research in The Cross Asset Shift report commissioned by MEXC Ventures. The exchange's average daily number of stock futures traders in Asia increased by 386% from the first quarter of 2026. Trading activity accelerated significantly across regions, with Southeast Asia recording a 6,648% increase in volume and 399% rise in users, while East Asia posted a 1,957% volume increase and 465% trader growth. The momentum continued into the third quarter, with MEXC's average daily stock futures volume across Asia rising another 102% from Q2 through August, while user numbers increased 51%. As MEXC CEO Vugar Usi told FinanceMagnates.com, "Asian investors want one funded account to cover more of their trading."
Asian crypto users are increasingly moving toward traditional financial assets through centralized exchanges, with 87.2% of surveyed Asian users planning to increase their TradFi trading activity. According to the Blockworks Research survey, 62.6% of crypto-native Asian respondents primarily trade precious metals through centralized exchanges, the highest share among regions surveyed. Real-world assets, foreign exchange, and tokenized stocks account for less than 2% of monthly spot volume on centralized exchanges but more than 12% of futures volume. In July, futures tied to these categories generated close to $400 billion in trading volume, with tokenized stock contracts supplying most recent growth, as Binance led the segment while MEXC and BingX each controlled about 20% of volume. The expansion brings the exchanges closer to securities and derivatives rules that vary by jurisdiction.
Spot trading in traditional assets is also gaining traction, with Southeast Asia's average daily number of MEXC users trading spot stocks rising 153% during Q2, while volume increased 348%. Through August, the region's daily spot user count grew another 159% from the previous quarter, with volume increasing 87%. MEXC ranked fourth in tokenized stock spot volume in July with $427 million, behind Bybit, Gate, and Binance. The exchange has also moved beyond synthetic exposure through its RealStocks service for US shares, although MEXC has not publicly named the securities intermediary handling those transactions. Traditional market hours remain a key factor driving users to crypto exchanges, as 61.5% of survey respondents described brokerage trading hours as limited, while 75.1% encountered major market events when conventional markets were closed. The report noted that 79% would consider using a crypto platform to open a gold or oil position during such events.
Asia-Pacific on-chain value increased 69% year-over-year during the 12 months ending June 2025, the fastest rate among regions, with monthly on-chain value rising from about $80 billion in July 2022 to almost $245 billion in late 2024. According to Blockworks Research, 83.9% of Asian respondents already rely primarily on centralized exchanges for cryptocurrency trading. The report highlighted that 30% of worldwide stablecoin activity occurred in Asia in 2025, with USDT holders able to move between Bitcoin, stocks, gold, and indices without funding separate accounts. Performance differences may have influenced asset class choices, as Blockworks Research calculated that Bitcoin fell 32% from January 2025 through the measurement period, while gold gained 64%, the Nasdaq-100 rose 42%, and the S&P 500 added 32%. MEXC's PAX Gold market showed a more even product mix, with PAXG generating $2.02 billion in spot volume and $2.03 billion in futures volume from January through July, with the monthly futures-to-spot ratio ranging from 0.8 to 1.6.
The report identified limited user knowledge as the most common barrier to continued adoption, cited by 51.2% of surveyed Asian users, followed by market volatility (43.8%), regulatory uncertainty (37.2%), and liquidity concerns (36.3%). For U.S. investors, continuous tokenized-stock trading remains subject to federal securities rules, with the Securities and Exchange Commission preparing an exemption that could allow selected platforms to test round-the-clock tokenized securities markets. MEXC CEO Vugar Usi expects more of the current futures activity to move into spot markets as liquidity improves and users become more familiar with the products. The report noted that weekend markets create pricing challenges as market makers cannot always hedge through underlying stocks while conventional venues are closed, potentially leading to larger spreads and smaller orders when users seek to trade. The survey reveals that 75.1% of Asian participants have faced significant market developments during periods when traditional markets were inaccessible, and 79% expressed willingness to utilize cryptocurrency platforms for gold or crude oil transactions under comparable conditions.
