CRYPTO OR EQUITIES ABROAD? WHERE ARE INDIANS INVESTING THIS YEAR; SCAN THE DATA

Kolkata: Indian retail investors are increasingly investing abroad. The process has accelerated in 2026, apparently due to downturns in the domestic equity market. As a results, the participation in overseas equities and alternative assets such as crypto currency are increasing. Recent data indicates that Indian investors are using different asset classes for diversification in their portfolio. According to experts, it should not be seen as a choice between overseas equities and crypto. The increasing participation of investors in both markets indicates a broad diversification strategy as well.

Increased interest overseas

Under the Liberalised Remittance Scheme (LRS) of the Reserve Bank of India overseas remittances have witnessed an increase. Total outward remittances under the LRS increased to $2.39 billion in May 2026. Among them, remittances for equity and debt investments more than doubled to 363.6 million dollars on an YoY basis. Remittances for equity and debt investments rose nearly 96% to $603.3 million between April and May 2026. These figures indicate that the money of Indian investors is also moving towards overseas investment channels.

Why the interest in overseas equities?

Overseas equities offer geographical diversification to Indian investors. Apart from this, there is an option of investment in such sectors and companies, which have limited representation in the Indian markets. However, there are some additional risks and considerations associated with overseas investing. Apart from currency movements and market volatility, tax and regulatory requirements also have to be taken into account. Therefore, investment in overseas equities cannot be decided only by looking at the returns.

Strong participation in the crypto market

The activity of Indian participants in the Crypto market has remained strong. TRM Labs data tell us India’s retail crypto transaction volume in the first quarter of 2026 was around $46 billion. During this period there was as much as 11% decline in global retail crypto volumes. Ignoring this decline in investment climate in crypto, the activity of Indians in the crypto market remained strong.

Between overseas equities and crypto

By scanning the data, it would not be correct to say that Indian investors are choosing any asset class from overseas equities and crypto. The available data does not tell how an individual investor is allocating his money. It is also not known why the investor has invested in a particular asset class or whether he has withdrawn money from one asset class and invested it in another.

(Disclaimer: This article is only meant to provide information. News9 does not recommend buying or selling shares or subscriptions of any IPO, Mutual Funds, precious metals, commodity, REITs, InvITs and any form of alternative investment instruments and crypto assets.)

2026-08-11T07:30:37Z