Tallinn, Estonia, September 21st, 2026, Chainwire

Crypto payments platform NOWPayments today published new empirical data covering six months of enterprise payout activity, presenting a comparative performance benchmark across TRON, BNB Smart Chain, Solana, Bitcoin, and Ethereum. The dataset is designed to help businesses select optimal blockchain rails based on speed, transaction volume, and cost efficiency. For businesses running mass payouts — payroll, affiliate commissions, or creator earnings — that choice directly shapes how quickly recipients are paid and what each transfer costs.

The figures reveal distinct operational advantages depending on what a transfer prioritizes. Solana recorded the fastest average payout speed at 1 minute and 45 seconds, while accounting for just 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 six-month period analyzed. The remaining 5.96% of volume and 22.16% of transactions moved over other networks and routes.

BNB Smart Chain processed 48.23% of transactions, compared with 15.73% for TRON, while its share of payout volume was lower at 21.75%. The network moved far more individual transfers without carrying the largest share of value, a pattern consistent with higher-frequency, lower-value payouts in the NOWPayments dataset. For flows of that kind, per-transfer costs compound across many transactions, so transaction share is as operationally significant as headline volume.

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 share 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. In short, the two networks served different payout patterns: TRON carried more value, while BNB Smart Chain handled far more individual transfers. For treasury teams, fewer larger transfers and many smaller ones place different demands on fee budgets and reconciliation.

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. The data suggests a practical framework for matching a network to a given payout flow, though it offers a starting point rather than a universal recommendation.

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, while Ethereum recorded the longest average at 5:56. The gap between the fastest and slowest networks was 4 minutes and 11 seconds, yet every network in the comparison still averaged less than six minutes, and TRON and BNB Smart Chain were separated by only five seconds. For scheduled disbursements like payroll, that sub-six-minute ceiling offers a predictable settlement window on any of the five rails.

Notably, the fastest network was not the most widely used. That points to a broader principle: 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 examining the commercial impact of crypto payments. The first column, The 22% Sales Boost Hiding in Your Crypto Checkout, looked at 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 Kate Lifshits, Commercial Director at NOWPayments.

When 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 the 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, so 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.

PR contact: Angelina T., NOWPayments (angelina.tmk@nowpayments.io). Commercial Director: Kate L., NOWPayments (kate.l@nowpayments.io).