Gen Z Drives 50% of New Crypto Users in India, ZebPay Report Finds
Gen Z accounted for around half of ZebPay’s new users in India during H1 2026, while Tier-2 and Tier-3 cities also drove significant crypto participation.
India’s crypto market is seeing a younger wave of participants, with Gen Z accounting for around half of new users on ZebPay during the first half of 2026. More than 1.2 lakh new users joined the platform during the period, according to its H1 2026 report.
Users aged 18 to 24 made up about 50% of new registrations and showed a strong preference for buying over selling. Their purchase volume was nearly 10 times their sell volume, while Solana emerged as their most preferred digital asset.
The crypto shift is also spreading beyond major cities. Tier-2 and Tier-3 cities together contributed around 62% of new registrations, with Tier-3 markets alone accounting for nearly 21%. The report also found that 63% of users held crypto without making trades during the first half of the year, suggesting many participants were taking a longer-term approach rather than constantly trading.
Bitcoin remains a major choice among Indian crypto users, with Bitcoin-focused investors representing 30% of users. Around 85% of active users participated in spot markets, while USDT remained the most-used trading pair.
The findings point to a crypto audience becoming younger and more geographically diverse. For Gen Z, apparently, digital assets have joined the already crowded list of things to explore online—alongside reels, side hustles and figuring out adulthood.
