Nearly three in four Indian crypto investors are aged 35 or below, suggests a CoinSwitch study, underscoring the strong tilt towards younger investors even as older cohorts show greater buying conviction and portfolio diversification.
Overall, investors aged 26–35 accounted for 50.5 per cent of CoinSwitch’s investor base in the April – June 2026 quarter (Q2CY26), followed by those aged 36–45 at 22.8 per cent. Investors aged 18–25 account for 16.3 per cent, while those aged 46 and above make up 10.5 per cent.
“Together, these figures show that nearly three out of every four crypto investors are aged 35 or younger, reflecting the continued appeal of digital assets among India’s digitally native population,” CoinSwitch said.
The findings are based on CoinSwitch platform activity during Q2-CY26, and do not include data from users on other crypto platforms.
Buy and sell
The youngest investors, however, were not the most aggressive buyers. The 18–25 cohort was the only age group to record more selling than buying, with a buy-to-sell ratio of 0.65 on the CoinSwitch platform during this period.
“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,” said Ashish Singhal, co-founder, CoinSwitch.
Divide and rule
The age divide, according to CoinSwitch, becomes even clearer when portfolio size is considered. Nearly six in 10 investors aged 18–25 (59.2 per cent) held just one cryptocurrency.
“The data suggests that while younger investors are driving entry into the asset class, older investors are more inclined to buy than sell. Bitcoin-Dogecoin pairing tops across age groups,” the study showed.
Despite differences in trading behaviour and portfolio construction, Bitcoin and Dogecoin emerged as the most popular crypto pairing across every age group in Q2-CY26 on the CoinSwitch platform.
Bitcoin + Shiba Inu, Dogecoin + Shiba Inu and Bitcoin + Ethereum were among the other popular combinations, according to CoinSwitch.
There were some age-specific preferences as well with investors aged 36–45 favouring Dogecoin + XRP, while the 26–35 and 46-plus cohorts preferred Dogecoin + Ethereum.
Preferred time
Indian investors have a clear preference for evening with the busiest trading hour between 10 PM–11 PM. Trading activity was at its lowest between 3 AM and 5 AM.
Thursday was the busiest trading day of the week, while Sunday recorded the lowest activity.
Uttar Pradesh leads
Among states, Uttar Pradesh accounted for 12.9 per cent of total crypto investment, making it India’s largest crypto market on CoinSwitch in Q2-CY26. Maharashtra followed at 12.4 per cent, Karnataka at 8.1 per cent and Delhi at 7.4 per cent.
Bitcoin was the preferred cryptocurrency in nine of India’s 10 largest investing states. Andhra Pradesh was the exception, where Dogecoin ranked first. The state also recorded the highest female participation among the top 10 markets, with women accounting for 59.3 per cent of total investment.