Czech Central Bank Purchases Bitcoin For $1M Crypto ‘Test Portfolio’ Pilot – Details

The Czech National Bank (CNB) has launched its $1 million crypto “check portfolio” pilot with the acquisition of Bitcoin (BTC), stablecoins, and tokenized deposits. The initiative follows earlier efforts to diversify its worldwide asset reserves with cryptocurrencies.

Czech Central Bank Launches Bitcoin, Crypto Portfolio

On Thursday, the Czech National Bank (CNB) announced the creation of a $1 million “check portfolio” of digital property to “achieve sensible expertise” with holding Bitcoin and different cryptocurrencies whereas implementing and testing associated processes over the subsequent two to a few years.

In an official press launch, the monetary supervisor revealed that it had made its first-ever digital asset buy, buying largely Bitcoin and different undisclosed cryptocurrencies, together with a USD-pegged stablecoin and a tokenized deposit.

The buy was accredited by the Czech central financial institution board on 30 October 2025, following discussions of an evaluation about doubtlessly incorporating investments in different asset lessons.

The portfolio’s construction is about to “permit the CNB to check varied varieties of digital property and their completely different properties” and check the way to use, commerce, preserve them of their accounts, and audit these holdings.

The Czech central financial institution confused that the acquisition occurred exterior its present worldwide reserves and that there aren’t any plans so as to add Bitcoin or different cryptocurrencies to those reserves within the close to future.

The announcement additionally emphasised that the entire quantity invested “is not going to be actively elevated.” However, smaller-scale operations “will proceed to be made to check operational readiness in varied market conditions and preserve the CNB’s preparedness for executing transactions on this market.”

CNB To Explore Future Of The Financial System

The Czech National Bank defined that the challenge goals to “achieve sensible expertise with blockchain-based applied sciences, which can essentially have an effect on the operation of the monetary and cost system sooner or later.”

Based on this, the banking authority considers it acceptable to begin testing and evaluating digital property in depth, arguing that “solely apply will reveal the main points and difficulties of day-to-day operation,” together with technical administration of keys and multi-level approval processes, disaster situations and safety mechanisms, and Anti-Money Laundering (AML) compliance verification.

CNB Governor Aleš Michl shared that he initially considered making a check portfolio in January 2025 to look at decentralized Bitcoin from the central financial institution’s perspective and consider its potential function in diversifying their reserves.

As reported by Bitcoinist, Michl proposed allocating as much as 5% of CNB’s $146 billion in overseas alternate reserves to Bitcoin, amounting to roughly $7.3 billion on the time. Nonetheless, the CNB Board didn’t approve the Governor’s proposal.

Now, he asserted that “new methods of paying and investing will emerge quickly within the years forward,” and it’s time for the Czech central financial institution to “be extra forward-thinking, extra visionary.”

It is practical to count on that, sooner or later, will probably be straightforward to make use of the koruna to purchase tokenised Czech bonds and extra apart from – with one faucet an espresso; with one other an funding reminiscent of a bond or one other asset that was the protect of bigger traders. As a central financial institution, we need to check this path.

The central financial institution additionally unveiled the launch of one other challenge, the CNB Lab innovation hub, aiming to oversee the testing of applied sciences and developments that would have an effect on the functioning of the monetary market and the conduct of financial coverage sooner or later.

“In addition to testing digital property and blockchain options, the CNB Lab will check out AI instruments, assist improvements within the space of funds – together with instantaneous funds – and run different tasks associated to the digitalisation of the monetary sector,” the assertion reads.