• India led global cryptocurrency adoption for the second year, driven by decentralized and centralized exchange activity despite regulations.
• Despite a regulatory ban on offshore exchanges, India’s crypto market saw continued engagement through alternative access routes.

According to Chainalysis’s most recent analysis, India has once again taken the lead in worldwide cryptocurrency usage. For the second year in a row, India leads the world in cryptocurrency usage out of 151 countries.

This accomplishment comes despite the country’s stringent regulatory obstacles, which include high taxes and a stern stance against offshore cryptocurrency exchanges.

According to the report, from June 2023 to July 2024, India’s crypto consumers showed resilience by participating in both centralized and decentralized exchanges, suggesting a widespread interest in digital assets despite government prohibitions.

Indian Users Continue Accessing Offshore Crypto Exchanges Despite Regulatory Bans 

According to the report, India’s Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU) initially banned many big offshore cryptocurrency exchanges, including Binance, Kraken, and KuCoin, in late 2023, as we previously noted.

Despite these steps, Indian consumers found methods to continue accessing these services, typically using mobile apps and alternative pathways that remained operational within the nation.

This ongoing interaction with offshore exchanges demonstrates the unwavering need for cryptocurrencies in the Indian market, regardless of the regulatory landscape. Interestingly, despite the FIU’s crackdown, these exchanges continued to account for a sizable share of India’s cryptocurrency transaction activity in 2024.

India’s supremacy in the cryptocurrency market reflects its involvement in many aspects of the crypto economy. According to the Chainalysis report, Indian users were active not only on centralized exchanges but also on decentralized finance (DeFi) platforms, showing a more diverse approach to cryptocurrency usage.

The engagement of both centralized and decentralized sectors suggests that the market is developing and attracting both retail and institutional players.

On a regional basis, India continues to play an important role in the Central, Southern Asia, and Oceania (CSAO) crypto markets. The country is second only to Indonesia in terms of crypto value received, amassing $143 billion between July 2023 and June 2024.

This figure demonstrates India’s key significance in the regional industry, while crypto inflows in the CSAO region exceeded $750 billion during the same period.

Despite its restriction on crypto as a payment mechanism, Indonesia has emerged as a prominent rival, attracting $157 billion in crypto inflows thanks to robust trading activity.

The resilience of Indian users in overcoming regulatory restrictions underscores the country’s growing hunger for digital assets. While India continues to impose tough actions against crypto platforms that do not comply with anti-money laundering (AML) legislation, the government has shown signals of a more forgiving approach.

For example, in 2024, both KuCoin and Binance paid fines and registered with Indian regulatory organizations, indicating a possible turn toward resuming legitimate operations in the nation.