Czech Central Bank Establishes $1 Million Test Crypto Portfolio

Czech National Bank invests $1 million in trial crypto portfolio.

The Czech National Bank (CNB) has acquired digital currencies. The regulator invested $1 million in a “trial” portfolio, which includes Bitcoin, stablecoins, and tokenized deposits.

The acquired assets are not part of the country’s international reserves.

The initiative aims to gain practical experience with blockchain technologies and related processes. The bank’s board approved the decision to purchase the coins on October 30.

According to CNB Governor Aleš Michl, the idea emerged in January 2025 to assess the potential of the first cryptocurrency in diversifying reserves. The project was later expanded to explore the “future of payments” and asset tokenization.

“We want to be more forward-thinking. It is realistic to expect that in the future, it will be easy to use the koruna to purchase tokenized Czech bonds and much more,” Michl explained.

As part of the project, CNB will test key management, multi-level approval processes, security mechanisms, and compliance with AML procedures. The bank will also study how to account for and audit such assets.

The portfolio’s volume is not expected to increase frequently. CNB noted that potential price fluctuations of digital gold will not affect the bank’s financial performance.

Simultaneously, the regulator launched the CNB Lab innovation hub. It will test technologies that could impact the financial market, including artificial intelligence and new payment solutions.

The bank will present an evaluation of the entire project and the experience gained in two to three years.

Taiwan and Bitcoin

A member of Taiwan’s People’s Party, Ge Ruchun, criticized the government for delaying cryptocurrency regulation, according to local media. He called for considering the inclusion of Bitcoin in the national strategic reserves and accelerating the adoption of a law for virtual asset service providers (VASP).

According to the deputy, the central bank’s March report on digital gold as a reserve asset is outdated. He pointed to the experience of the United States, where several states have included the first cryptocurrency in strategic reserves. Ruchun also referred to a forecast by Deutsche Bank, which predicts that by 2030, central banks will begin to store Bitcoin en masse as a “new foundation of financial security.”

In response, Central Bank Governor Yang Jinlong stated that “2030 is still far away.” The deputy countered that Taiwan cannot afford to wait that long amid global changes and pointed to the excessively high share of U.S. government debt in the country’s foreign reserves.

Jinlong promised to provide a new report assessing Bitcoin as a reserve by the end of the year.

Ruchun also proposed conducting an inventory of Bitcoins confiscated from criminals. In his view, these assets could be directed to state reserves rather than sold immediately. Prime Minister Cho Rongtai supported the idea.

Another topic of discussion was the VASP bill. Ruchun noted that the document was sent to the government in June, but there has been no progress in five months. The deputy described the authorities’ stance as “excessive caution, tantamount to inaction.”

Financial Supervisory Commission FSC head Peng Jinlong responded that consultations on the bill are ongoing at the level of relevant agencies, but did not specify a timeline. The Prime Minister supported a cautious approach, emphasizing that stablecoins affect monetary sovereignty.

In conclusion, Ruchun stressed that virtual assets are not merely speculative tools. He called them “a new battlefield for national security” and urged the government not to miss the opportunities of a new era.

Back in September 2025, it was revealed that the German government would consider recognizing Bitcoin as a strategic asset.