Mutsamadu, Comoros, August 11th, 2026, Chainwire

MEXC, a pioneer in 0-fee digital asset trading, has published a new report titled "The Next-Generation Investor: Behavioral Migration from Traditional Finance to Crypto Exchanges." The findings indicate a steady shift in traditional asset trading activity toward cryptocurrency exchanges, with platforms in this space increasingly serving as gateways for multi-asset trading rather than solely for digital assets. This convergence reflects a broader industry trend in which major crypto exchanges—including Binance, Bybit, and Coinbase—have expanded their offerings to include tokenized stocks, commodities, and futures contracts tied to traditional assets, while some traditional brokerages have simultaneously added crypto trading to retain clients.

The survey gathered 6,185 valid responses across 13 languages, including 2,874 respondents with traditional finance backgrounds. As the survey was conducted among MEXC's user base, the results may reflect a population already inclined toward crypto-based trading and may not be representative of all retail investors.

Traditional Finance User Migration Emerges as a Key Trend

Among surveyed users with a traditional finance background, 74.2% have already moved some or all of their traditional asset trading activities to crypto exchanges. A further 16.5% are considering doing so, while only 9.2% indicated they will continue using traditional platforms.

The migration trend spans multiple investment channels. Among users who previously invested through commodity ETFs, the migration rate reached 77.8%, while the rate among those who had invested through brokerages or retail banks stood at 73.8%.

The shift is not limited to traditional finance users. Among crypto-native users—those whose first investment experience was in the cryptocurrency market—61.9% have already traded traditional assets on crypto exchanges. Additionally, 53.4% of these users reported that crypto exchanges have become their primary venue for trading precious metals, rather than traditional brokerages.

Trading Hours and Fees Are the Two Main Drivers Behind User Migration

When asked about their dissatisfaction with traditional brokerages, respondents most frequently cited limited trading hours (58.8%) and high fees (54.7%), followed by complex account opening processes and slower execution speeds. Major stock exchanges such as the NYSE and Nasdaq operate during fixed weekday windows—typically 9:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Eastern Time—and close on weekends and holidays, whereas crypto markets trade continuously.

Their reasons for switching to crypto exchanges directly align with these pain points. The top two reasons were 24/7 market access (64.7%) and more competitive fees (53.8%). Other contributing factors included greater asset flexibility, a smoother account opening process, and faster execution speeds. The findings suggest that users are drawn not merely by new asset categories, but by significant differences in trading hours, costs, and execution efficiency.

Among all respondents, 83.3% plan to further increase their traditional asset trading volume on crypto exchanges, suggesting the migration trend has not yet peaked.

Nearly 70% of Users Have Missed Trading Opportunities Due to Market Closures

When major macroeconomic events occur over weekends or holidays, traditional markets are often closed, leaving investors unable to respond in a timely manner. According to the report, 69.2% of respondents have experienced this situation.

An increasing number of users are choosing to position themselves ahead of traditional market openings. The report found that 73.3% of respondents have used crypto exchange futures to establish positions before traditional markets open, while 58.0% consider this ability the greatest advantage of crypto exchanges.

Whether users have directly experienced missed opportunities due to market closures significantly impacts how they evaluate this capability. Among users who frequently miss opportunities because of market closures, 71.3% regard the ability to position ahead of market openings as the greatest advantage of crypto exchanges. Among those who have never encountered such situations, the figure drops to 37.0%.

MEXC CEO Vugar Usi stated: "As more users trade Bitcoin, gold, and U.S. stocks on the same day, a financial infrastructure better aligned with today's user needs is taking shape. MEXC is committed to building an all-day, 0-fee, single-account, low-friction multi-asset trading platform, bringing users unlimited trading opportunities."

The full report is available at CoinGecko Research.

About This Survey

The survey collected 6,185 valid responses across 13 languages. Crypto-native users—those whose first investment experience occurred in the crypto market—accounted for 53.5% of the sample. Users with a traditional finance background, defined as those who had invested through brokerages, banks, or commodity ETFs before using crypto exchanges, accounted for 46.5% (n=2,874).

About MEXC

MEXC is a global cryptocurrency exchange trusted by more than 40 million users across over 170 markets. The platform offers 0-fee trading and access to more than 3,000 digital assets. Users can trade cryptocurrencies alongside tokenized assets including stocks, ETFs, commodities, and precious metals on a single platform.

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MEXC PR team: media@mexc.com