India Turns To Crypto for Long-Term Wealth, Female Participation Doubles in 2025

India’s approach to crypto is evolving, with digital assets increasingly becoming part of long-term wealth strategies. The 2025 CoinDCX Annual Report, titled ‘The Story of Crypto in India, which shows growing investor confidence, diversification beyond Bitcoin and a doubling of female participation year-on-year.

Shift in Investment Patterns Across Indian Crypto Users

According to the report, Layer-1 tokens account for 43.3 per cent of the Indian crypto portfolio. Bitcoin comes in second with 26.5 per cent, followed by meme coins with 11.8 per cent.

Currently, the average Indian crypto investor holds five tokens per portfolio, up from two to three in 2022. Investors are shifting beyond the strategy of crypto equals Bitcoin and growing interest in understanding the fundamentals behind different tokens.

Ethereum became the most traded token on CoinDCX throughout major metropolitan areas, even outperforming Bitcoin in terms of trading activity. Bitcoin continues to be the most held asset among Indian investors.

Women Investors Double; Kolkata and Pune Lead the Trend

Female participation in crypto doubled year-on-year in 2025. The report also states that for every one woman investing in cryptocurrency, there are six male investors, indicating that there is still space for growth as more women explore digital assets.

Kolkata emerged as the leading metro for female participation, followed by Delhi and Mumbai, whereas Bhubaneswar, Kochi, and Vadodara topped engagement among non-metros. Cities such as Siliguri, Imphal, and Ernakulam recorded notable increases as well. Women investors took a diverse approach to investment with popular tokens that include Bitcoin, Ethereum, Shiba Inu, Dogecoin, Polygon, XRP, Solana, Cardano, Decentraland, and Avalanche.

Age Diversity Among Indian Crypto Investors

The average age of cryptocurrency investors has increased from 25 in 2022 to 32 in 2025, indicating that a more financially mature generation is investing.

Gen Z adults (18–24) account for 36.6 per cent, younger millennials (25–34) make up 36.2 per cent, older millennials (35–44) represent 19 per cent, Gen X (45–54) are 6.4 per cent, and boomers (55+) contribute 1.9 per cent. The average investor age has risen from 25 in 2022 to 32 in 2025, signalling a more mature, research-driven market.

Cities Driving Crypto Activity

Crypto adoption on exchanges increased in both metros and non-metro cities. Bengaluru had the highest trading activity, whereas Pune was the fastest-growing metro. Ethereum volumes increased by 6.6x in Bengaluru, whereas 10x in Pune.

Among non-metros, Lucknow led in total trading volume of around Rs 4,000 crore and became a hub for SUI adoption, with other cities such as Jaipur, Patna, and Indore also showing notable growth. Solana prices increased by four times in Pune, Hyderabad and Surat. Also, Delhi-NCR experienced increased volatility, driven by massive trades in Bitcoin and Solana.

What to expect in 2026

Sumit Gupta, Co-Founder of CoinDCX, shared his views on India’s crypto market in 2026.

He said, “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.”

He also said that 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.