You’ve probably heard this at a dinner party: “If only we had bought Bitcoin ten years ago.” Now imagine that conversation echoing in the corridors of a central bank, where the stakes are a nation missing one of the most asymmetric financial opportunities of the century.
For emerging economies — countries like India, Brazil, Indonesia, South Africa, Nigeria, Thailand, or Vietnam — strategic exposure to cryptocurrencies is essential for future economic resilience. They collectively represent over 40% of the global population and approximately 25% of global GDP, yet they remain vulnerable to external economic shocks, including currency fluctuations, trade disruptions, and more. Today, their sovereign reserves remain heavily reliant on traditional assets like gold and foreign exchange. But those aren’t sufficient hedges in a rapidly digitizing world.
Cryptocurrencies aren’t an experiment anymore. While Bitcoin is the most widely adopted, making it the primary example in this discussion, the broader argument applies to cryptocurrencies as a whole. The Bitcoin network has been operational for over 99.98% of the time since its inception in 2009. Cryptocurrencies have survived wars, regulatory crackdowns, and multiple financial crises. Over the last decade, bitcoin has appreciated nearly 200X, far outpacing tech giants like NVIDIA or Apple.
The crypto space, no denying, has faced scams, rug pulls, and bad actors. This is common in virtually any financial system — think early stock markets or banking. That’s why smart regulation is critical. Countries like Singapore, Japan, and Switzerland have already struck a balance between consumer protection and innovation, offering models for others. But these risks don’t negate crypto’s core appeal — they demand careful governance.
Diversification is key. Ask any central banker, fund manager, or financial advisor: you don’t put all your eggs in one basket, and you certainly don’t bet the future of an economy on a single asset class. In a world that’s rapidly digitizing, ignoring digital assets like cryptocurrencies is a mistake. These assets tend to have little correlation with how other traditional assets perform, making bitcoin a strong hedge against economic turbulence.
We’re seeing entire publicly listed companies built around bitcoin as a core asset. Take Michael Saylor’s Strategy, which started as a software firm and now holds over 506,137 BTC (approximately $42 billion as of writing). Countries like El Salvador have adopted Bitcoin as legal tender. Vietnam, India, and Thailand rank among the top 10 countries globally for cryptocurrency adoption already. EAEs must follow this shift or fall behind.
