Around 91% of crypto investors respond to sharp price swings through calibrated portfolio adjustments, patient observation, or deliberate inaction, while only 9% panic-sell or chase market hype during periods of volatility, according to Mudrex’s How India Trades Crypto 2026 survey report.
The findings point to a significant shift in investor behaviour, with strategy and market understanding increasingly outweighing impulsive decision-making. This disciplined approach is particularly evident among investors in certain states.
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In Maharashtra (3.2%), Telangana (3.2%), and Tamil Nadu (4%), only 3-4% of crypto traders reported reactive behaviour during sharp price moves, less than half the national figure, with just 1 in 29 traders describing their response as panic-driven.
At 48.4%, nearly half of all respondents allocate less than 10% of their total portfolio to crypto, while over 70% keep their allocation under 25%. Rather than concentrated bets, Indian crypto traders and investors are treating digital assets as a satellite allocation within a broader portfolio.
The conservative allocation behaviour extends well beyond the national average in several states, with Madhya Pradesh standing out with 72.7% of crypto traders, nearly three in four, keeping their crypto exposure below 10% of their total portfolio.
Crypto SIP
"There's a dated perception that India's crypto users are speculative traders chasing the next price move. This survey shows that most Indian crypto traders and investors are systematic, patient, and measured under pressure," said Edul Patel, Founder and CEO, Mudrex.
"Mudrex platform data shows that crypto SIP openings grew over 220% in 2025, with average monthly contributions climbing to Rs 4,000- Rs 6,000 by December. Investors are not just claiming they think long-term, they are putting money in, month after month," said Prateek Gupta, Head of Business, Mudrex.
When asked to describe their primary approach to crypto, 41.2% of respondents identified themselves as long-term buy-and-hold investors, the single largest cohort in the survey, ahead of short-term traders at 25.8%. The buy-and-hold majority is distributed across the country.
In West Bengal (60%), Rajasthan (52%), Karnataka (51%), and Bihar (48%), buy-and-hold rates range from 48% to 60%%, all above the national figure of 41.2%, indicating that the long-term turn in Indian crypto is not confined to metros.
The 35-44 age group recorded the highest long-term conviction of any cohort, at 45.2%, suggesting that experience in financial markets is translating directly into greater discipline in crypto.
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Among women investors, 46.4% identified as long-term holders, a rate that exceeds the survey average and is nearly six percentage points higher than that of men. Taken together, the data describe a crypto trader and investor class that has taught itself to behave with discipline across age groups, genders, and geographies.
India is already the world's largest crypto market by user count, with approximately 120 million active participants, according to Chainalysis. The behaviour this survey documents is the foundation on which a formally recognised asset class is built.
"India's crypto investors have already done the hard work of building sound habits. What the market now needs is the policy clarity and institutional infrastructure to match that maturity. The frameworks around this asset class need to catch up with the investors who are already in it," Patel said.
The survey was done for over 6,000 active Indian crypto traders, and this is a pan-India behavioural study of Indian crypto traders and investors, covering respondents across 22 states.
( Disclaimer : Recommendations, suggestions, views and opinions given by the experts are their own. These do not represent the views of The Economic Times)
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