According to BlockBeats, February 2026 data shows centralized exchange spot and derivatives trading rising while decentralized perpetual trading declined despite strong traffic growth, highlighting diverging engagement patterns between trading activity and user interest.
BlockBeats reported updated February 2026 exchange metrics showing divergent activity across centralized and decentralized markets. Major centralized exchanges (CEX) recorded a 4.8% month-on-month increase in spot trading volume and a 17.4% rise in perpetual contract trading. Meanwhile, decentralized perpetual exchanges (Perp DEX) saw perpetual trading volume decline by 7.4% even as site traffic surged 33.53%, suggesting rising user interest despite lower transaction activity. Earlier figures for the same month had indicated a 5.3% decline in CEX spot trading and a 6.1% rise in perpetual volume, with Perp DEX trading down 16.3% but visits up 20.6%, indicating that subsequent data updates revised the scale of market movements.