March proved once again to be a volatile month for crypto, mirroring its unpredictable history. After a blockbuster February that saw record-high trading volumes, March shifted gears dramatically. Investor caution, regulatory scrutiny, and wider macroeconomic headwinds contributed to a steep decline in market activity.
Data from CryptoPresales.com reveals that the total monthly trading volume of the ten most actively traded cryptocurrencies dropped by a staggering 67% in March, underlining a sharp shift in market sentiment.
Unlike last March, when technological advancements, institutional investments, Bitcoin’s record highs, and the meme coin frenzy fueled trading activity, March 2025 brought quite the opposite trend. February’s crypto trading surge, driven by a mix of panic selling and strategic buying at lower prices, was followed by a double-digit plunge in March. Regulatory issues and economic factors, like expected changes in U.S. dollar supply and new tariffs, significantly impacted crypto trading volume, and the month-over-month difference is staggering.
According to CoinMarketCap data, the combined monthly trading volume of the ten most traded cryptocurrencies skyrocketed to $8.6 trillion in February, marking a massive $2.5 trillion increase in just 30 days. Although the list of the top 10 most traded cryptocurrencies remained the same, with SUI as the only new entrant in March, their combined trading volume plunged by 67% month-over-month. This translates to a staggering $5.9 trillion less in crypto trades, reflecting a major market shift and marking one of the sharpest declines in recent months.
Bitcoin and First Digital USDC Saw the Biggest Trading Volume Drops of 76% and 71%
Although all most-traded cryptocurrencies saw their trading volumes nosedive in March, Bitcoin and First Digital USDC suffered the biggest declines. In February, BTC trading volume hit over $2.3 trillion; this figure plunged by 76% to only $542 billion by the end of March.
First Digital USDC followed closely with a 71% decline and $94.2 billion monthly trading volume. Other most traded cryptos weren’t that far behind. For example, Tether saw $1.36 trillion worth of trades last month, or 67% less than in February. Ethereum’s monthly trading volume plunged by 63% to $335 billion, while USDC and XRP followed with 49% and 54% drops. Solana, BNB, and Dogecoin were also on the downside, seeing 56%, 41%, and 60% lower monthly trading volumes, respectively.
