Binance has surpassed 300 million users, with survey data showing half now identifying as long-term crypto holders, while BTC leaves exchanges and institutional activity increases.
Summary
- Binance reached 300 million registered users, adding 100 million in 18 months, while institutional accounts and trading volumes increased by double digits year-on-year.
- Stock market data shows Bitcoin balances on centralized platforms are at a five-year low as publicly traded companies and ETFs continue to add BTC to their balance sheets.
- Survey data and Australian data indicate a shift from speculative trading to long-term savings, diversification and regulated integration with TradFi and commodities.
According to Binance Australia, Binance has surpassed 300 million registered users worldwide, adding 100 million users in 18 months in the fastest growth period in the exchange’s history.
The platform took almost five years to reach the first 100 million users, and then just over two years for the next 100 million, representing a growth rate of more than 180,000 new users per day, Matt Poblocki, managing director of Binance Australia and New Zealand, said on Friday.
The growth coincides with digital assets’ shift from speculative trading to broader institutional adoption, the company said. Binance reported a 14% year-over-year increase in institutional users and a 13% increase in institutional trading volumes.
Binance’s 2025 User Pulse survey of more than 95,000 users across 48 markets found that half of users now identify as long-term holders rather than active traders. Portfolio diversification and investing for future purchases, such as buying a home, were among the top motivations, the survey found.
Binance adds millions of users
In Australia, cryptocurrency ownership has reached 26% of the population, with a further 32% open to future investment, according to research from Protocol Theory commissioned by Binance Australia. Australian trading activity was concentrated around established assets, with Bitcoin, Ethereum and Solana dominating volumes in December.
According to Kaiko, the platform controls between 35% and 45% of global Bitcoin and Ethereum trading volume and protects more than $170 billion in customer assets based on public Proof of Reserves data.
Poblocki stated that 2026 will be shaped by deeper integration between digital assets and traditional finance, supported by clearer regulations, including Australia’s proposed Digital Assets Bill and the implementation of the OECD’s Crypto-Asset Reporting Framework.
Binance has gone beyond digital assets and this week launched perpetual futures contracts tied to gold and silver. The products allow traders to gain exposure to precious metals prices without holding physical assets. According to the company, the contracts are regulated by the Financial Services Regulatory Authority in Abu Dhabi through the ADGM framework.
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