- In December, DEX trading volumes reached a record $320.5 billion.
- CEX spot trading reached $2.8 trillion, indicating robust investor activity.
In December, the cryptocurrency market witnessed an unbelievable surge in volumes despite seeing a price dip during the year-end. Both DEXs and centralized exchanges registered record volumes that give a good sense of confidence among growing investors and point toward a rally in the coming new year.
The Block reports that DEX trading volumes broke through the $320.5 billion mark in December. At the helm is Uniswap, with more than $105 billion in trading volume, followed by PancakeSwap and Raydium, with a combined volume of $56 billion, thereby consolidating its lead as the largest DEX on the Solana network.
Record-Breaking Volumes Show Crypto Market Surging
Another thing that witnessed an increase was spot trading on CEXs. Volumes jumped to $2.8 trillion, just a tad higher than November’s $2.71 trillion. Again, Binance, the largest cryptocurrency exchange, took the lion’s share, with $961 billion in spot trading volume. Crypto.com came in second place, followed by Upbit, Bybit, and Coinbase.
This is the period when, as noted in the beginning, Bitcoin and Ether hit major markers earlier in December. Bitcoin managed to hit all-time highs crossing $100,000, whereas Ether broke upwards of $3,800, all this gained momentum of optimism within the cryptocurrency community. But while prices might have dipped right at the very end of the year, analysts say trading volume remains high enough to support levels of investor participation heading into an outright bull run into 2025.
The boom is primarily attributed to a broader acceptance of cryptocurrency ETFs, renewed institutional interest, and renewed optimism toward reforms during the tenure of President Trump. Kronos Research Analyst Neal Wen comments, Surging DEX and CEX volumes reflect the renewed activity throughout the crypto space, driven by increased volatility, trust in DeFi, and better trading tools on centralized platforms.
Volumes in both DEX and CEX have been rising as a result of more participation coming from institutional and retail investors based on positive market sentiment and belief in cryptocurrencies. Given the level of volatility as of now, it would tend to indicate that such figures make a solid platform for further increases in the crypto ecosystem during the next year.
