The Czech National Bank (CNB) has made its first investment in digital assets by forming a test portfolio worth $1 million. This marks the first step for the financial regulator of the Czech Republic towards the practical exploration of digital assets and blockchain technologies.
This is reported by Finway
Composition and Purpose of the Test Portfolio
The portfolio consists of three types of assets: Bitcoin, a dollar-pegged stablecoin, and a tokenized deposit. The main goal of the experiment is to gain practical experience in managing digital assets. The CNB emphasizes that the portfolio has been created outside of international reserves to explore technological and procedural aspects, including storage, key administration, auditing, and compliance.
The project was officially approved by the Bank Council on October 30, 2025, following a review of an analytical report on the prospects of new asset classes. The part of the document dedicated to digital financial instruments was made public.
“The idea to create a test portfolio came to me in January 2025. The aim was to test decentralized Bitcoin from the perspective of a central bank and assess its potential role in diversifying our reserves,” said CNB Governor Aleš Michl.
Bank’s Position on Risks and Reserves
Aleš Michl also noted the high volatility of Bitcoin and stressed the need for a responsible approach to investing in crypto assets. The bank specifically highlighted that it currently does not plan to include digital assets in its official reserves or increase the volume of such investments in the near future. The formation of the test portfolio is part of standard financial activities without affecting the CNB’s ability to conduct currency interventions or implement monetary policy.
In February 2025, the CNB Governor already urged not to equate Bitcoin with other crypto assets, emphasizing the differences between various types of digital financial instruments.