Indian crypto investors have shed the speculative itch and are buying the dive into bitcoin price as seasoned professionals, the Mumbai-based CoinDCX exchange told CoinDesk.
“Indian investors are maturing. They are no longer driven solely by sentiment or headlines; instead, they are focused on fundamentals and the long-term potential of the asset class,” CoinDCX CEO Sumit Gupta said in an email.
“We see it in their behavior: regular bitcoin systematic investment plans (SIPs), deliberate market orders and carefully placed limit orders,” he added, naming ether solana and XRP like other favorites.
The recent trend contrasts with the frenzied trading of 2021, when newbies chasing 100x pumps tried clones and other smaller tokens.
“Clearly, participation is becoming more strategic and measured rather than reactive. Increasingly, investors are looking to Bitcoin for portfolio diversification and long-term wealth creation,” Gupta said.
Bitcoin’s price has fallen to $75,000 after hitting a high of over $126,000 in October. The broader market has followed suit, with altcoins recording bigger losses. Coincidentally, the Indian national rupee (INR) has depreciated against the US dollar in recent weeks, hitting a record low of 92 per USD.
Still, trading volume has picked up on the exchange, rising from about $269 million in December to about $309 million in January, he said, adding that activity has been more balanced. “We are seeing profit-taking from short-term traders who bought near recent lows, but at the same time steady accumulation from long-term investors who see these levels as an opportunity,” he noted.
India, the world’s fastest-growing major economy, maintains a cautious, regulatory-focused stance on digital assets, treating them as taxable virtual digital assets (VDA) rather than legal tender. The annual budget announced over the weekend maintained a 30% tax on crypto gains without offsetting losses and a 1% transaction tax deducted at source.
Regulations issued by the Financial Intelligence Unit also require strict KYC requirements, including regular and accurate reporting of user transactions by exchanges. These measures aim to strengthen compliance and counter money laundering and terrorist financing.
“The Union Budget 2026 proposes strengthening compliance of crypto platforms with respect to transaction data lapses, with the aim of curbing tax evasion in virtual digital assets,” Gupta said.
We remain fully committed to working with policy makers to support the development of a secure, innovative and globally competitive VDA ecosystem as the regulatory landscape continues to evolve.
