Key Takeaways:

• Oobit has launched crypto payment services in Colombia as stablecoin use grows across Latin America.
• Many users in Latin America are now spending stablecoins on groceries, restaurants, and other everyday purchases.
• Colombia’s demand for dollar-backed digital assets is rising as people look for alternatives to local currency instability.

Crypto payments platform Oobit — backed by Tether, the issuer of the world’s most widely used stablecoin, USDt (USDT) — officially launched in Colombia on 14 May 2026, marking its ninth live market.

The move extends the company’s footprint across Latin America’s fast-growing crypto economy as the region sees growing use of digital assets for everyday spending rather than just investment or trading.

Why Colombia has become a key crypto payments market

Colombia was not a random choice for expansion. Data from Chainalysis’ 2025 Geography of Crypto Report showed that the Colombian peso ranked second globally in the share of stablecoin purchases made on centralized crypto exchanges.

Years of sharp swings in the peso’s value and Colombia’s strong dependence on remittances (money sent home by citizens working abroad) have pushed many households to turn to dollar-backed digital assets as a more stable financial option.

Oobit is not alone in recognizing this opportunity, as several major firms have already targeted this trend. In April 2026, Meta introduced stablecoin payouts for selected creators in Colombia and the Philippines, marking its return to digital currency services since shutting down the Libra project in 2022. Meanwhile, MoneyGram also chose Colombia as the first market for its stablecoin remittance app, citing peso instability and the country’s strong inbound money transfer activity.

Learn More: What Are Stablecoins, and How Do They Work?

Brazil shows what happens when crypto becomes spendable

Oobit’s strongest early results have come from Brazil, where it launched in November 2024. Since then, activity on Oobit’s platform in the country has climbed by more than 200%, with active users spending an average of roughly $400 per month across around 20 transactions.

The company’s data also suggests that crypto payments are increasingly being used for everyday purchases. Across Latin America, grocery stores and supermarkets account for 35% of Oobit transactions, followed by restaurants at 8.8% and food outlets at 7.2%. In Brazil, users are also spending crypto at gas stations, beauty shops, and electronics retailers.

USDT remains the most-used token on Oobit’s platform, followed by Oobit’s native token and USDC (USDC), another dollar-backed stablecoin.

Related: Meta Brings Back Crypto Payments, Now Using Stablecoins for Payouts

Latin America is becoming a major hub for everyday crypto

The Colombia launch comes as stablecoin adoption accelerates across Latin America. Mercado Libre, the region’s largest online marketplace, has offered stablecoin-based transfers in Brazil, Mexico, and Chile through its Meli Dollar token since 2024. In April 2026, the company also discontinued its separate loyalty cryptocurrency, Mercado Coin, to focus more heavily on stablecoin services.

A 2025 report from Bitso, a major Latin American crypto exchange, found that stablecoins accounted for 40% of crypto purchases on its platform, compared with Bitcoin’s 18% share. Meanwhile, data from DefiLlama showed the global stablecoin market grew from roughly $243 billion in May 2025 to more than $322 billion by mid-May 2026.

For investors and traders, the shift signals that digital dollars are becoming more practical for daily use, giving crypto holders more ways to spend their crypto assets beyond speculation or trading.