SAN SALVADOR, El Salvador, June 26, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Prediction markets have reached all-time-high daily trading volume in June, driven by the World Cup momentum. According to a new report by Bitget Wallet based on a 90-day study of 857,000 active Polymarket users, 60% had no prior onchain trading history before using prediction markets, suggesting the platform is pulling in a new class of mainstream participants, not recycling existing crypto users.

Prediction markets are increasingly functioning as an entry point into crypto rather than a niche trading category, with users now entering onchain activity directly through application-level interfaces instead of decentralized exchanges or DeFi protocols.

The findings suggest a structural shift in crypto onboarding. Rather than beginning with token trading or DeFi activity, users are increasingly entering through prediction-market applications built around real-world outcomes such as sports, politics, and macro events- with blockchain infrastructure operating largely in the background.

But the bigger shift is not just where users enter, it is how their behaviour develops once they do.

Once onboarded, activity remains highly concentrated within prediction markets. Polymarket-heavy users averaged approximately 1,194 prediction-market interactions over 90 days, compared with just 11.9 DEX trades in the same period, indicating that prediction markets function as a primary engagement layer rather than a secondary feature of broader crypto usage.

When users do interact with decentralized finance infrastructure, activity remains structurally conservative. Stablecoin swaps and major assets account for the majority of downstream DEX volume, while meme coin exposure represents only around 1% of activity. Despite Polymarket operating on Polygon, only around 6% of users’ DEX activity occurs on the same chain, with liquidity instead concentrated on Ethereum-based venues such as Uniswap.

This suggests prediction markets are not simply a new crypto trading vertical, but an application-led onboarding mechanism, where users begin with real-world questions and only later interact with underlying financial infrastructure.

“Prediction markets are increasingly acting as the first meaningful entry point into crypto for users who may never interact with traditional DeFi,” said Alvin Kan, COO of Bitget Wallet. “What we are seeing is a shift from protocol-led onboarding to application-led onboarding, where users engage with outcomes and interfaces, not blockchain mechanics.”

As adoption deepens, users tend to remain application-native rather than ecosystem-native. Engagement is anchored in event-based experiences such as sports fixtures, political developments, and macroeconomic outcomes, rather than token selection or liquidity provision.

This reflects a broader structural change in how crypto is being accessed. Instead of requiring users to understand DeFi infrastructure before participation, prediction markets allow users to engage through familiar mental models - what will happen, and what is the probability it occurs.

As a result, prediction markets appear to be evolving into one of the first scalable consumer onboarding layers for crypto, where blockchain infrastructure becomes increasingly invisible and user interaction is defined by real-world outcomes rather than financial primitives.

Read the full report on Bitget Wallet website.

About Bitget Wallet
Bitget Wallet is a self-custodial crypto wallet built for everyday finance. Since 2018, it has given 90M+ users worldwide an onchain account to save, spend, and invest in crypto, supporting 1M+ tokens across 130+ blockchains, 100+ fiat currencies, Visa/Mastercard crypto cards, and localized payment methods. Its security is backed by industry-standard key encryption, a real-time risk engine, independent audits, and a US$300M+ user protection fund. In 2022, Bitget Wallet raised a US$100M funding round led by Dragonfly. web3.bitget.com
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Disclaimer: Prediction market services may be restricted or unavailable in certain jurisdictions and are subject to applicable local laws and regulations. Participation involves uncertainty and financial risk, including the potential loss of capital. Users are advised to assess their own risk tolerance, exercise caution, and ensure full compliance with all relevant regulatory requirements before engaging in such activities.

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