Tallinn, Estonia, September 21, 2026, Chainwire — Crypto payments ecosystem NOWPayments today published empirical data analyzing six months of enterprise payout activity, presenting a comparative performance benchmark across TRON, BNB Smart Chain, Solana, Bitcoin, and Ethereum. The company said the figures are intended to help businesses select suitable blockchain rails based on speed, transaction volume, and cost efficiency. For businesses moving funds to recipients at scale, those variables determine how quickly payouts arrive and what each transfer costs to send.

According to the dataset, each network displayed distinct operational advantages depending on transfer priorities. Solana recorded the fastest average payout speed at 1 minute and 45 seconds, while accounting for 3.08% of volume and 3.86% of transactions. TRON led in total monetary volume at 43.69%, and BNB Smart Chain handled the largest share of individual payout transactions at 48.23%.

High-Frequency Payouts Put BNB Smart Chain in the Lead

Taken together, TRON, BNB Smart Chain, Ethereum, Bitcoin, and Solana accounted for 94.04% of payout volume and 77.84% of payout transactions during the period analyzed.

BNB Smart Chain represented 48.23% of transactions, compared with 15.73% for TRON, while its share of payout volume was lower at 21.75%. The network processed far more individual transfers without carrying the largest share of value, a pattern consistent with higher-frequency, lower-value payouts in the NOWPayments dataset.

Higher-Value Payouts Put TRON in the Lead

TRON moved 43.69% of payout volume, more than twice BNB Smart Chain's 21.75% share, despite accounting for a much smaller portion of transactions. Based on those shares, the average TRON payout was approximately 6.2 times larger than the average BNB Smart Chain payout during the period. The two networks served different payout patterns: TRON carried more value, while BNB Smart Chain handled far more individual transfers.

Ethereum ranked third by volume at 18.84% and represented 7.42% of transactions. Bitcoin accounted for 6.68% of volume and 2.60% of transactions, while Solana represented 3.08% of volume and 3.86% of transactions.

NOWPayments said the data suggests a practical framework for matching a network to a specific payout flow, describing it as a starting point rather than a universal network recommendation. The shares reflect payout flows routed through NOWPayments, so they describe how one payments ecosystem used these networks rather than overall activity on any individual chain.

When Speed Matters, Solana Leads

Solana led on speed with an average payout time of 1:45. Bitcoin followed at 2:53, ahead of TRON at 3:08 and BNB Smart Chain at 3:13. Ethereum recorded the longest average at 5:56.

The gap between the fastest and slowest networks was 4 minutes and 11 seconds. Every network in the comparison still averaged less than six minutes, and TRON and BNB Smart Chain were separated by only five seconds. Notably, the fastest network was not the most widely used — a point the company said shows that crypto infrastructure should be evaluated across the full movement of funds rather than by a single headline metric.

Kate Lifshits, Commercial Director at NOWPayments, applies the same data-first approach in Crypto That Works for Business, her Cryptopolitan series on the commercial impact of crypto payments The first column, The 22% Sales Boost Hiding in Your Crypto Checkout, examined checkout performance; future editions will cover other points where payment infrastructure affects revenue, costs, and growth.

"The useful question is not which network tops a leaderboard. It is what a specific payout flow needs to optimize: value, frequency, speed, or cost," said Lifshits.

When Cost Matters, the Best Route May Not Be a Blockchain Network

When minimizing payout costs is the priority, comparing blockchain networks may be the wrong place to start. NOWPayments allows businesses to send payouts to ChangeNOW Pro wallets with no network or service fees within its ecosystem. Creator Andy Tries Coding publicly tested the route and reported receiving a fee-free payout in under five seconds.

Recipients are identified by email and confirm the transfer before funds move, meaning businesses do not need to collect wallet addresses at the beginning of the payout process. An interactive guide walks through the process from payout creation to recipient access.

The takeaway is straightforward: define the payout flow first, then select the network or route. Value, frequency, speed, and cost will not point every business to the same answer.

About NOWPayments

NOWPayments is a crypto business ecosystem designed to help companies accept payments, automate mass payouts, manage stablecoin treasury, and scale global digital asset operations through a single infrastructure. The platform supports more than 350 cryptocurrencies, over 30 stablecoins, flexible settlement options, and enterprise-grade APIs.

Contacts: PR Manager Angelina T., NOWPayments, angelina.tmk@nowpayments.io; Commercial Director Kate L., NOWPayments, kate.l@nowpayments.io.