Catenaa, Monday, November 17, 2025- The Czech National Bank confirmed its first direct purchase of digital assets, creating a one million dollar test portfolio that includes bitcoin, a USD stablecoin, and a tokenized deposit.
The move marks a limited trial aimed at gaining practical experience with blockchain instruments without altering the country’s reserve strategy.
The bank said the purchase was made outside its international reserves and will not expand. Officials described the project as a controlled experiment approved in late October to assess the operational demands of storing and managing digital instruments.
The review covers custody, settlement, accounting and security procedures, including key controls and crisis protocols.
Governor Aleš Michl said the portfolio will help the bank evaluate how bitcoin may fit within broader diversification studies while also examining trends in payments and tokenized assets. He said an assessment will be released in two to three years.
The bank stressed that the effort will not affect monetary policy or foreign exchange operations, noting that the koruna remains the country’s legal tender.
The CNB said the small size of the portfolio shields it from market swings. Officials warned that bitcoin’s price can change sharply and urged caution for retail buyers.
The initiative follows recent internal studies on new asset classes and earlier disclosures that the bank bought shares of Coinbase as part of diversification efforts.
The launch coincides with CNB Lab, a new hub analyzing technologies such as blockchain and artificial intelligence for their potential influence on financial systems and payments.
