Crypto market cap leaps $800B in Q3, but spot volume drops 14%
Photo: CryptoSlate
Crypto’s third-quarter rebound in 2026 came with weaker spot trading at major centralized exchanges, even as the dollar value of open perpetual futures positions expanded, according to data provider CoinGecko’s quarterly report. Total crypto market capitalization gained 39.6% during July through September , finishing at about $2.96 trillion after ending the second quarter near $2.1 trillion. Yet the report’s top-10 spot exchanges handled $1.65 trillion in quarterly turnover, down 14.2% from $1.93 trillion in the second quarter. Meanwhile, dollar open interest at its top-10 perpetual exchanges rose 40.6% over the third quarter and closed September above $100 billion.
Source: CryptoSlate
