Czech Central Bank acquires $1M in Bitcoin, stablecoin, and tokenised deposit

Key Takeaways

• The Czech National Bank purchased digital assets for the first time, creating a $1 million blockchain-based test portfolio outside its international reserves.
• The goal is to gain practical experience with Bitcoin and digital tokens, while testing custody, settlement, security, and AML processes.

The Czech National Bank, the national monetary authority of the Czech Republic, acquired $1 million in digital assets, including Bitcoin, a USD stablecoin, and a tokenised deposit, as part of a test portfolio held outside of its international reserves.

The acquisition positions the institution as a pioneer in central-bank digital asset experimentation. The Czech National Bank frames the purchase as a testing initiative designed to evaluate the operational, technical, and regulatory processes associated with digital assets.

The CNB stressed that it does not plan to include Bitcoin or other digital assets in its official reserves for now, but sees value in preparing for a future in which tokenised assets, new payment methods, and blockchain-based financial instruments become more common. Findings from the project will be shared publicly over the next two to three years.