Young Investors Accounted For Nearly 80% Of New Crypto Investors In Q2, Says CoinSwitch Report

India’s crypto investor base remains largely young, but age also appears to influence how investors build and manage their portfolios. Younger investors tend to hold fewer crypto assets, while older investors are more likely to diversify, according to CoinSwitch’s Q2 2026 report, India’s Crypto Portfolio: How India Invests.

Investors aged 26 to 35 formed the largest share of the investor base at 50.5 per cent, followed by those aged 36 to 45 at 22.8 per cent. Investors aged 18 to 25 accounted for 16.3 per cent, while those aged 46 and above made up 10.5 per cent.

The younger cohort also dominated new investor additions in Q2. Investors aged 18 to 25 accounted for 54.4 per cent of new investors, followed by the 26 to 35 group at 25.4 per cent. The 36 to 45 and above 46 groups accounted for 13.4 per cent and 6.8 per cent, respectively.

Younger Investors Hold Fewer Crypto Assets

The difference becomes more visible in portfolio sizes. Among investors aged 18 to 25, 59.15 per cent held a single cryptocurrency, while 25.30 per cent held two to three assets. Another 7.61 per cent held four to five cryptocurrencies, 5.04 per cent held six to nine and 2.90 per cent held more than 10.

For investors aged 26 to 35, 41.90 per cent held one cryptocurrency and 32.47 per cent held two to three. The share holding four to five assets was 11.22 per cent, while 8.40 per cent held six to nine and 6.01 per cent held more than 10. The report states that portfolio diversification increases with age, with investors aged 36 to 45 and 46 and above showing greater representation across portfolios containing four or more cryptocurrencies.

Bitcoin to Dogecoin: Most Popular Crypto Pair

Bitcoin and Dogecoin emerged as the most popular two-crypto pairing in Q2, followed by Bitcoin to Shiba Inu, Dogecoin to Shiba Inu, Bitcoin to Ethereum and Dogecoin to Ethereum.

Bitcoin and Dogecoin were the top pairing across every age group. The fifth-most popular combination varied, with 18 to 25-year-olds favouring PEPE and Shiba Inu, while 26 to 35 and 46+ investors preferred Dogecoin and Ethereum. The 36 to 45 group favoured Dogecoin and XRP.

Buying Behaviour Varies Across Age Groups

The report also found differences in buying and selling behaviour. Investors aged 18 to 25 recorded a buy-to-sell ratio of 0.65 in Q2, followed by 0.90 among those aged 26 to 35, 1.10 among 36 to 45-year-olds and 1.14 among investors aged 46 and above.

At the cryptocurrency level, Ethereum recorded the highest buy-to-sell ratio among the five largest cryptocurrencies by investor participation at 1.39. Shiba Inu followed at 1.24, Solana at 1.23, Bitcoin at 1.22 and PEPE at 1.16.

Thursday Emerges As Busiest Trading Day

Thursday accounted for the highest share of crypto trades at 16 per cent in Q2, followed by Wednesday and Friday at 15 per cent each. Trading activity peaked between 9 PM and 11 PM, with 10 PM to 11 PM emerging as the busiest hour.

Uttar Pradesh led crypto investment with a 12.9 per cent share, followed by Maharashtra at 12.39 per cent and Karnataka at 8.1 per cent. Andhra Pradesh recorded the highest female participation at 59.3 per cent, while Haryana had the highest male participation at 83.6 per cent. Bitcoin was the preferred cryptocurrency in nine of the 10 largest crypto markets, with Andhra Pradesh the exception, where Dogecoin was the most preferred.