Cryptocurrency Is Now A Long-Term Wealth Tool in India: 40% Users from Tier-2 Cities; Check FY25 Crypto Trends

Over the last few years the rise in interest in crypto trading has grown extraordinarily in India. While initially investors were a little wary of making an investment in these decentralised tokens, the crypto wave has taken over Indians, who are now starting to find potential in the digital assets.

According to the latest annual report by CoinDCX, crypto is slowly becoming a long-term wealth-building tool rather than a speculative bet for Indian investors.

As per the exchange, India recorded Rs. 51,333 crore in total trading volume in FY25. Currently, the average portfolio now holds five tokens, up from just two or three in 2022, and the best part is that the crypto trading is expanding beyond the metro cities, where the average age of Indian crypto investors also increased from 25 to 32.

Indian Portfolios Expand as Investors Move Beyond Bitcoin

In the Indian crypto market the investors are no longer limiting themselves to Bitcoin. Bitcoin holds 26.5%, while memecoins represent 11.8% of the volume share. The report shows that the Layer-1 assets account for 43.3% of investor volumes.

The report further mentioned that Ethereum's popularity is also seen in cities such as Bengaluru, Pune, and Mumbai, which recorded double- and triple-digit jumps in ETH volumes. Bengaluru saw a 6.6x increase, Pune a 10x rise, and Mumbai investors moved more capital into Ethereum than Bitcoin.

India's Crypto Surge In Non Metropolitan Cities

The report further says that 40% of India's crypto investors now come from Tier-2 and Tier-3 cities. Lucknow emerged as the biggest surprise, logging a 5x increase in Ethereum trading and becoming a national hub for SUI adoption. Pune saw Solana volumes quadruple, while Jaipur witnessed ETH volumes double as investors diversified beyond Bitcoin.

Several non-metro cities including Patna, Bhopal, Indore, Chandigarh, Guwahati, and Ludhiana,cities, have entered India's top trading centres. Lucknow alone recorded Rs. 4,000 crore in crypto trading volumes during the year.

Male-Dominated Market Sees Increase in Female Participation

Female participation in crypto investing doubled year-on-year, according to the report. Looking at the city-wise data, Kolkata topped the list of cities with the highest share of women investors, followed by Delhi and Mumbai. In non-metro regions, Bhubaneswar, Kochi, and Vadodara led the surge, with new participation emerging from Siliguri, Imphal, and Ernakulam.

Crypto Market Recap & Outlook Ahead

The global crypto market experienced some sharp movements through 2025. Bitcoin fluctuated between $83,000 and $96,000. Touching both record highs and yearly lows.

"If 2025 was the year crypto came of age in India, then 2026 will define the next phase of digital finance. The price pattern associated with the Bitcoin halving cycle will no longer shape market behaviour, and that's a healthy shift. Today participation is increasingly research-led and institutionally aligned. With 55% of hedge funds now holding crypto, averaging a 7% allocation, and a majority planning to increase exposure, the market has clearly entered a more stable, long-term phase. Institutional adoption is no longer a signal of what's coming; it's now the baseline." said Sumit Gupta, Co-Founder, CoinDCX.

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