54% of new Indian crypto investors are under 25: Report

Investors aged 18–25 accounted for 54.4% of new investors added during Q2, making them the largest contributor to new market participation
Ayush Mishra
August 20, 2026 / 13:08 IST
54% of new Indian crypto investors are under 25

• Gen Z drives new crypto investors in India.
• Young investors sell more; older investors buy & diversify.
• Bitcoin & Dogecoin are India’s most popular crypto pair.

Did our AI summary help?

Webinar by Vishal Malkan

in your portfolio by Vishal Malkan

More than half of all new crypto investors who joined CoinSwitch in Q2 2026 were aged 25 or under, according to the platform’s latest report, India’s Crypto Portfolio: How India Invests, cementing Gen Z’s position as the driving force behind India’s crypto boom.

Yet the same report reveals a twist: while young investors are flooding into the market, they are also the only age group selling more than they are buying. Older investors, by contrast, show far greater conviction in holding and diversifying.

Young investors dominate entries, but sell more than they buy

Investors aged 18-25 made up 54.4 percent of all new investors added in Q2, making them by far the largest contributor to new participation on the platform. However, this age group was also the only one to record more selling than buying, with a buy-to-sell ratio of just 0.65.

Overall, nearly three in four crypto investors in India are aged 35 or under, with the 18-25 and 26-35 age groups accounting for 54.4 percent and 25.4 percent of new investors, respectively.

Older investors diversify more

Portfolio construction also varies significantly by age. Among investors aged 18-25, 59.2 percent held just a single cryptocurrency, a share that dropped to 36.3 percent among those aged 36-45. The 36-45 cohort also had the highest proportion of investors holding 10 or more cryptocurrencies, at 9.1 percent, pointing to a clear trend of growing diversification as investors get older.

CoinSwitch co-founder Ashish Singhal said “Each market cycle brings in a new set of investors, but over time, we see investors become more informed and deliberate in how they participate. What we are seeing in India is a shift from crypto being viewed simply as a new asset class to investors developing a more nuanced understanding of how they want to participate in it.”

Bitcoin and Dogecoin: India’s favourite pair

Despite the differences across age groups, one preference held constant: Bitcoin and Dogecoin emerged as the most popular crypto pairing across every age cohort. Bitcoin + Shiba Inu, Dogecoin + Shiba Inu, and Bitcoin + Ethereum followed as the next most popular combinations.

Some variation did show up by age — investors aged 36-45 favoured Dogecoin + XRP, while the 26-35 and 46+ cohorts preferred Dogecoin + Ethereum.

Thursday nights are India’s crypto prime time

The report also flagged clear patterns in when Indians trade. Thursday emerged as the busiest trading day, while Sunday saw the least activity. The single busiest hour was 10 PM to 11 PM, with buying activity strongest through the evening between 7 PM and midnight. Trading was at its lowest between 3 AM and 5 AM.

Uttar Pradesh leads, Andhra Pradesh stands out

Geographically, crypto participation continues to spread beyond India’s traditional financial hubs. Uttar Pradesh remained the country’s largest crypto market, accounting for 12.9 percent of total investment, followed by Maharashtra (12.4 percent), Karnataka (8.1 percent) and Delhi (7.4 percent).

Bitcoin was the top-traded cryptocurrency in nine of India’s ten largest investing states. The lone exception was Andhra Pradesh, where Dogecoin ranked first. Andhra Pradesh also recorded the highest female participation among the top ten <a href="https://xpertsstudio.com/morpho-surges-5-83-on-markets-app-update-and-defi-narrative-top-stories/” title=”Morpho Surges 5.83% on Markets App Update and DeFi Narrative | Top Stories”>markets, with women accounting for 59.3 percent of total investment in the state.

The report is based exclusively on activity on the CoinSwitch platform during Q2 2026 and does not include data from users on other crypto platforms.

Disclaimer: The views and investment tips expressed by experts on Moneycontrol.com are their own and not those of the website or its management. Moneycontrol.com advises users to check with certified experts before taking any investment decisions.
Ayush Mishra is a personal finance journalist specialising in banking, credit, and taxation. With experience at Business Standard, he delivers engaging stories that make complex financial decisions easier to navigate.
first published: Aug 20, 2026 01:07 pm

Discover the latest Business News, Sensex, and Nifty updates. Obtain Personal Finance insights, tax queries, and expert opinions on Moneycontrol or download the Moneycontrol App to stay updated!

Watch

Trending news

‘We are Gen Z, won’t tolerate this nonsense’: Tourist’s Kargil checkpoint rant goes viral. Omar Abdullah reacts

• ‘Learn to be a law abiding citizen’: Army veterans slam tourist after viral Kargil checkpoint video
• Rs 14.3 lakh tuition, Rs 3.1 lakh for bus: Dubai mom shares complete breakdown of daughter’s school fees
• Worked for 8.5 hours, earned Rs 1,200 a day: Bengaluru student tries Rapido as side hustle, shares reality
• 23-year-old man earns Rs 8.5 lakh in a month by watching clouds, making videos and living in mountains
• Quote of the day by Matthew Perry: “I’m not the biggest fan of confrontation” remembering the Friends star on his birth anniversary
• “My 3-year-old son had cancer, he passed blood in his urine while eating pizza”, When Emraan Hashmi revealed how his life changed in those 12 hours
• ‘Salary doubled to Rs 1.1 lakh, but father’s medical emergency left me broke’: Reddit user shares financial wake-up call
• BTech graduate gave up a 14-year IT career to farm: Now Vikramdev Mohapatra earns Rs 10 lakh a month from farming
• Apple iPhone 18 Pro Max will have one big camera difference compared to the iPhone 18 Pro: Here’s what it is
• iPhone 17 price in India drops to Rs 46,455 with exchange and bank offers
• “Tried to distance myself”: Anurag Kashyap on navigating 20-year age gap with girlfriend Shubhra Shetty; 5 psychological facts to know
• US cardiologist reveals 5 things he avoids after performing 8,000 heart operations
• Indonesia’s ‘Black Lake’ Mystery: What is the dark substance emerging from Sano Nggoang after 7.7 earthquake?
• Florida couple bought a 45-acre swamp to stop development. 15 years later, it became a thriving wildlife sanctuary with 275 nesting wood storks

`);
}
if(res.stay_updated){
$(“.stay-updated-ajax”).html(res.stay_updated);
}
}catch(e){ console.log(e); }
});
},2000); // Reduced from 8s to 2s for better Core Web Vitals (LCP/UX)
});

Source: www.moneycontrol.com