The stablecoin market posted its biggest retreat in years in June, a sign that onchain liquidity has dwindled as crypto markets continued to consolidate near 2026 lows.
Last month saw a $7.7 billion decline in stablecoin market capitalization, the largest dollar amount since May 2022, when blockchain protocol Terra-Luna collapsed, kickstarting a brutal bear market often dubbed as crypto winter, CoinDesk Data reported.
Zooming out, the total value of stablecoins in circulation has fallen ny roughly roughly $10 billion since its May peak, according to data from RWA.xyz. It's about a 3% drop on a percentage basis, the largest such downtrend since 2023, but well shy of 2022's 26% collapse.
The decline has been driven mainly by the two dominant issuers. Tether's USDT, the largest stablecoin, has seen its market capitalization fall to roughly $184 billion from $190 billion in May, a decline of about $6 billion. Circle's USDC has dropped to around $73 billion from its March 2026 peak of just shy of $80 billion, shedding another $7 billion.
