In the spring and early summer of 2026, a single Indian crypto exchange looked inward at its own customers and found a generation arriving at the market much as previous ones arrived at the stock exchange: young, curious, and quick to enter. Nearly three in four of its investors are 35 or younger, and the youngest among them are the most eager newcomers, even as they are the first to step back and sell. Older investors, though fewer, hold on with greater conviction, suggesting that the same asset can mean different things across the arc of a life. Yet these are the habits of one platform's use
Nearly Three in Four Indian Crypto Investors Are Under 35, CoinSwitch Study Finds
The youngest investors were not the most aggressive buyers.
Mark
The headline says nearly three in four investors are under 35. Why does that number matter?
Mimi
It shows who is entering. The 18 to 25 group is only 16.3 per cent of the base, but it made up 54.4 per cent of new additions in the quarter.
Mark
So the base is getting younger?
Mimi
The new arrivals skew very young, yes. Whether that changes the base over time depends on who stays.
Luke
Careful with the headline, though. These are CoinSwitch users only. The study says it excludes other platforms, so "Indian crypto investors" really means this exchange's customers.
Mark
And the buying and selling numbers?
Mimi
The 18 to 25 group sold more than it bought, with a ratio of 0.65. Investors 46 and above came in at 1.14.
Luke
Worth noting that it is one quarter. The study reads it as conviction, but a ratio doesn't tell us why people sold. That interpretation is CoinSwitch's, not something the data proves.
Mark
What about the single-coin portfolios?
Mimi
59.2 per cent of the youngest group held just one coin. Among 36 to 45 year olds it was 36.3 per cent, and 9.1 per cent of them held ten or more.
Luke
And the study doesn't say how large any of these holdings are, so we don't know how much money sits behind them.
Le Pouls
- Nearly three in four CoinSwitch investors are 35 or younger, a generation crowding into a volatile asset class.
- The 18-25 group brings in more than half of all new arrivals, yet it is the only cohort that sells more than it buys.
- Older investors aged 46 and above hold steady with the strongest buy ratio at 1.14, betting with quiet conviction.
- Bitcoin and Dogecoin dominate across age groups and most top states, with Andhra Pradesh as the lone exception.
- The data reflects only CoinSwitch users, so the broader Indian market remains unmeasured and its direction uncertain.
In the spring and early summer of 2026, a single Indian crypto exchange looked inward at its own customers and found a generation arriving at the market much as previous ones arrived at the stock exchange: young, curious, and quick to enter. Nearly three in four of its investors are 35 or younger, and the youngest among them are the most eager newcomers, even as they are the first to step back and sell. Older investors, though fewer, hold on with greater conviction, suggesting that the same asset can mean different things across the arc of a life. Yet these are the habits of one platform's users alone, and the wider country's crypto story remains beyond what this quarter's ledger can show.
On CoinSwitch, the busiest hour for crypto trading in India falls between 10 PM and 11 PM, while the quietest stretch comes in the early hours before dawn. Those rhythms come from a quarterly study the exchange released for April to June 2026, and they frame a striking picture of who is trading.
Nearly three in four of the platform's investors are 35 or younger. Those aged 26 to 35 make up half the base, while the youngest group, 18 to 25, is a smaller share of the whole but the largest share of new arrivals, at 54.4 per cent. Ashish Singhal, CoinSwitch's co-founder, described the pattern as a shift from seeing crypto as a novelty toward a more considered way of taking part.
The newcomers are not the most committed buyers. The 18 to 25 cohort is the only group selling more than it buys, while investors aged 46 and above show the strongest buying conviction. Younger investors also tend to hold just one coin, while older ones spread across larger portfolios.
The favourite coins cross age lines: Bitcoin and Dogecoin lead everywhere. Geographically, Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra lead investment, and Bitcoin is the top pick in nine of the ten largest states. Andhra Pradesh stands apart, favouring Dogecoin and recording the highest female share of investment at 59.3 per cent.
The caveat is firm: these figures reflect only CoinSwitch's own customers, not the wider Indian market.
On CoinSwitch, the busiest hour for crypto trading in India falls between 10 PM and 11 PM. The quietest stretch comes between 3 AM and 5 AM. Those timings are part of a quarterly study the exchange published for April to June 2026, and they sit alongside a more striking finding about who is trading.
According to the study, nearly three in four Indian crypto investors on the platform are 35 or younger. Investors aged 26 to 35 made up 50.5 per cent of CoinSwitch's base in the quarter, which the company calls Q2-CY26. Those aged 36 to 45 accounted for 22.8 per cent, the 18 to 25 group for 16.3 per cent, and investors 46 and above for 10.5 per cent. CoinSwitch described the pattern as a reflection of the continued appeal of digital assets among India's digitally native population.
The mix of people newly joining was different from the existing base. Investors aged 18 to 25 made up 54.4 per cent of new additions during the quarter, and those aged 26 to 35 contributed another 25.4 per cent. The youngest group is thus a small share of the overall base but the largest share of new arrivals.
They were not, however, the most aggressive buyers. The 18 to 25 cohort was the only age group that sold more than it bought, with a buy-to-sell ratio of 0.65. Investors aged 46 and above showed the strongest buying conviction, at 1.14. The study's reading is that younger investors are driving entry into the asset class, while older investors lean more toward buying than selling. Ashish Singhal, CoinSwitch's co-founder, said the data points to a shift from viewing crypto simply as a new asset class toward a more nuanced understanding of how investors want to take part in it.
Portfolio size showed a similar divide. Among 18 to 25 year olds, 59.2 per cent held just one cryptocurrency. That share fell steadily with age, reaching 36.3 per cent among those aged 36 to 45. That older group also had the largest proportion holding ten or more cryptocurrencies, at 9.1 per cent.
On which coins people hold, the age differences faded. Bitcoin and Dogecoin was the most popular pairing in every age group. Bitcoin with Shiba Inu, Dogecoin with Shiba Inu, and Bitcoin with Ethereum were also common combinations. Some preferences were age-specific: investors aged 36 to 45 favoured Dogecoin with XRP, while the 26 to 35 and 46-plus groups preferred Dogecoin with Ethereum.
The geographic breakdown put Uttar Pradesh first, at 12.9 per cent of total crypto investment on CoinSwitch in the quarter. Maharashtra followed at 12.4 per cent, Karnataka at 8.1 per cent and Delhi at 7.4 per cent. Bitcoin was the top choice in nine of the ten largest investing states. Andhra Pradesh was the exception, with Dogecoin ranked first. It also recorded the highest female participation among the top ten markets, with women accounting for 59.3 per cent of total investment there. Thursday was the busiest trading day of the week and Sunday the quietest.
One limit applies to all of this: the figures come only from CoinSwitch's own platform activity in the quarter and exclude users of other crypto exchanges, so they describe one company's customers rather than the whole Indian market.
Citations marquantes
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
India is shifting from viewing crypto simply as a new asset class to investors developing a more nuanced understanding of how they want to participate in it.— Ashish Singhal, co-founder, CoinSwitch (paraphrased)
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