Onchain Without Obstacles: The Future of U.S. Crypto Trading

As onchain markets continue to mature, one question is becoming increasingly urgent for the industry: what's actually holding experienced traders back from going fully onchain, and what would it take to change that?

To find out, OKX recently surveyed 1,000 active U.S. crypto traders to understand how they're navigating the intersection of centralized and decentralized markets today. The results reveal a user base that's eager for broader onchain access, but not at the cost of security, simplicity, or execution quality. Across five key findings, a clear picture emerges: the future of crypto trading isn't CeFi or DeFi, it's both, working together seamlessly.

Centralized exchanges continue to anchor trading activity. Approximately 52% of respondents use centralized platforms exclusively, while another 48% combine centralized and decentralized tools. When presented with a CeDeFi model that integrates a centralized exchange platform with onchain execution, more than 90% of respondents expressed positive appeal. In addition, more than one-third of users expect centralized exchanges to serve as the primary gateway to onchain markets. These findings suggest that users are not looking to move away from centralized platforms. Rather, they expect them to evolve with integrated tools like CeDeFi, bridging centralized and decentralized markets.

Self-custody remains important to crypto users; however, the dominant preference is an integrated approach — neither full autonomy nor full delegation. 51% want to manage most aspects of trading themselves with some automation, while 38% prefer full responsibility. Only 2% prefer minimal involvement, provided asset ownership is retained. Users want control over assets and strategy, but are open to platforms that simplify operations and reduce the friction of navigating decentralized markets such as managing multiple wallets, switching networks, safeguarding seed phrases, and bridging tokens for gas fees.

Despite strong interest in onchain participation, security risks and scams are cited as the leading obstacle by 29% of users. Fees and pricing uncertainty follow at 22%. Nearly half of respondents want platforms to actively help mitigate scams, and 19% seek support in preventing transaction errors.Beyond security, users report friction from managing multiple wallets, bridging assets across chains, and navigating unfamiliar interfaces contributing to a broader perception of onchain trading as operationally demanding, even among experienced participants.

Yield-generating strategies are already a meaningful entry point into onchain markets. More than 65% of respondents report having used onchain tools to earn yield on stablecoins at least occasionally, with 1 out of 4 doing so regularly. Providing liquidity to stablecoin pools ranks as the most attractive strategy at nearly 40%, followed by staking stablecoins on centralized platforms at just over 36%. Yield activity demonstrates that users are willing to engage onchain when opportunities are clear and perceived risk is manageable.

When asked which onchain tasks they would feel comfortable delegating to an exchange, best-price routing (24%) and scam detection (21%) ranked highest, followed by execution timing optimization (16%) and bridging (12%). Automation is broadly accepted when it enhances performance, mitigates risk, and simplifies the onchain experience.