BISQ smashes records as demand for financial privacy soars

Last year I wrote about BISQ hitting record highs. Those records have since been smashed. Q2 2024 saw over 60 million dollars in volume, and 2025 sustained those levels throughout the year.

The XMR/BTC pair continues to dominate. As Monero got delisted from centralised exchanges, traders moved to the one venue that couldn’t be shut down.

Fiat volumes are also at all-time highs, with BRL now rivalling EUR as a top currency pair.

The payment method breakdown tells the same story. PIX, Brazil’s instant payment system, has become one of BISQ’s dominant fiat rails.

The cypherpunk dream hasn’t died - it’s migrated. While Bitcoin became Wall Street’s digital gold, demand for private, censorship-resistant finance found its home on platforms like BISQ.

Data sourced from BISQ trade statistics exported January 2026.