Crypto Friendly Cities Index 2025

Introduction

We are experiencing a reshaping of global financial and technological hubs. Wealth, talent, and innovation are actively migrating away from jurisdictions hostile to crypto, gravitating instead toward cities that openly embrace blockchain and digital assets. Identifying the friendliest crypto cities isn't merely insightful; it's essential. The future of finance, innovation, and talent mobility is being rewritten in real-time—and understanding this shift is critical for anyone aiming to remain ahead in a rapidly evolving landscape.

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The Next Global Financial Center Will Be Crypto-Forward

The next epicenter of global finance won't just embrace crypto—it will thrive on it. Here's why the most successful cities of the future are already betting big on blockchain and digital assets:

1. 1. Regulatory Arbitrage: The New Financial Power Play
2. Businesses, investors, and crypto pioneers flock to jurisdictions offering clear, consistent, and crypto-friendly regulation. Look at Binance strategically relocating operations, or Coinbase considering leaving the U.S. due to regulatory friction. Regulatory clarity isn't just beneficial—it's essential.

1. 2. Follow the Money and Talent
2. Crypto-friendly cities like Dubai, Singapore, and Zug are rapidly becoming magnets for wealth, innovation, and elite talent. Conversely, places burdened by regulatory hostility—risk losing their competitive edge and driving talent away.

1. 3. Crypto: The Parallel Financial Revolution
2. Governments that proactively adopt crypto gain new streams of investment, tax revenue, and economic growth. Those that resist or overregulate risk not just capital flight, but a damaging brain drain as well. Crypto isn't just another asset—it's a powerful economic catalyst.

1. 4. Digital Nomads & the Multipolitan Future
2. Crypto wealth is borderless, and its holders increasingly embrace "Multipolitan Lifestyle"—strategically diversifying their residences and assets across pro-crypto jurisdictions. Stability, low taxes, and innovative policies are no longer just attractive—they're prerequisites for cities aiming to attract the sovereign individuals shaping tomorrow's economy.

1. 5. First-Mover Advantage: Crypto's Winner-Takes-Most Game
2. Cities quick to embrace crypto are securing outsized economic advantages. El Salvador moved from obscurity to becoming a global Bitcoin hub, while Dubai's fintech-forward policies have made it a global financial heavyweight. In crypto, first movers aren't just leading—they're dominating.

The global financial landscape is shifting. Cities that move quickly to embrace crypto aren't merely positioning themselves for relevance—they're securing their place as the financial centers of tomorrow.

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Where Is Crypto Wealth Moving?

• Crypto-Friendly Hubs: Dubai, Singapore, Zug (Switzerland), Lisbon, Miami, Puerto Rico, Hong Kong (recent shift back to crypto-friendliness).
• Jurisdictions Losing Crypto Talent: Parts of U.S. (regulatory hostility), China (ban-driven exodus), Parts of EU (uncertain regulatory path for some countries).

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How we went about Identifying the Crypto Friendly Cities of the world?

Most crypto-friendly indices focus only on tax advantages, but the reality is far more complex. While tax policies matter, regulation, legal clarity, and real-world adoption are equally crucial in determining a city's crypto friendliness.

The Crypto Cities Index 2025 goes beyond surface-level metrics. Our methodology involved a rigorous, multi-metric analysis to capture the full picture. We began by pre-selecting 27 cities based on 5 country-level criteria to ensure they align with thriving crypto ecosystems. We focused on:

• Clear legal status of cryptocurrencies – A stable and predictable regulatory framework.
• Robust economic growth – Cities that provide strong macroeconomic conditions for businesses to thrive. High-growth cities offer better business opportunities, investor confidence, and a robust financial infrastructure to support crypto ventures.
• High-income classifications – Wealth hubs where crypto adoption is driven by both retail and institutional players.
• Quality of Life – Cities that rank highly in both national and city-level well-being indices, ensuring sustainability for long-term crypto adoption. A city must not only be business-friendly but also liveable. Factors like healthcare, safety, and cost of living impact crypto entrepreneurs, digital nomads, and investors choosing to relocate.
• Not just regulatory havens The best crypto cities should not just be regulatory havens; they are places where talent wants to settle and thrive.

By incorporating these factors, we’ve created a first-of-its-kind crypto city index, offering a snapshot of where digital finance is truly flourishing and where crypto is truly integrated

After identifying 27 cities we then assessed ‘crypto integration’ of these cities along five metrics:

1. Metric 1: Regulatory Environment: We evaluated national regulations by analysing local tax policies, licensing frameworks, and incentive programs, assigning scores from a three-point scale based on comparative analysis.
2. Metric 2: Tax Regime: Tax implications were assessed using the highest potential capital gains tax rate, recognising varying legislative conditions. Scores ranged from 1 to 3 based on how jurisdictions compared against the mean of the sample.
3. Metric 3: Wealth & Lifestyle: The economic health of cities was measured using GDP per capita and housing prices, proxies for investment potential and quality of life. Scores were derived by comparing data to the mean, applying a weighted average with city-level housing price data given greater emphasis.
4. Metric 4: Digital Infrastructure: Connectivity and technological readiness were captured using metrics like internet speed and smart city rankings. This score accounted for how each city’s infrastructure supported cryptocurrency activity, with cities grouped into high, medium, or low performers.
5. Metric 5: Crypto Infrastructure: The presence of crypto ATMs and retail adoption rates were analysed to reflect each city’s embedded cryptocurrency culture. High concentrations of these assets earned the top scores, showcasing cities at the forefront of crypto integration.

Each metric contributed to an aggregate score, with cryptocurrency culture weighted double to highlight its importance. The final scores, scaled to 180 points, determined the rankings, spotlighting cities that combine legal, economic, and infrastructure strengths to attract crypto enthusiasts and investors. You can find the full methodology and research work in Appendices.

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The New Financial Capitals of the Future

The global financial landscape is no longer dictated solely by traditional powerhouses like New York or London. The rise of crypto-friendly cities is changing the equation, proving that digital assets and decentralization are the future

Crypto-Friendly Cities: Abu Dhabi, Ljubljana, Luxembourg City, Muscat, Nicosia, Lisbon, Riga, Singapore, Zurich—each offering clear legal frameworks and attractive tax regimes.

Top Smart Cities: Zurich, Oslo, Singapore, London, Abu Dhabi—ranking high in IMD’s 2024 Smart City Index, proving that crypto-friendly cities also lead in technology and infrastructure.

Crypto ATM & Merchant Leaders: Sydney leads the way with 330 crypto ATMs and retail locations, followed by Hong Kong (201) and Ljubljana (155)—showcasing cities with real-world crypto integration.

In addition, speed & connectivity are foundations of a digital economy, and connectivity fuels crypto adoption. Abu Dhabi, Doha, and Oslo top the charts in internet speed, securing 398, 265, and 205 Mbps, respectively enabling high-frequency trading, digital finance, and seamless blockchain transactions.

For us at Multipolitan, mapping the friendliest crypto cities aligns perfectly with the borderless ethos of the industry. As people and capital seek favourable jurisdictions, advisory services that help HNWIs relocate, establish businesses, and manage assets will be in increasing demand.

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How is the Crypto Wealth Concentrated?

It’s no longer enough to track how many people own cryptocurrency. What matters equally is to understand who holds substantial crypto wealth. Millions of users with modest holdings tell a very different story compared to nations dominated by a few influential crypto magnates. Multipolitan’s Crypto Wealth Concentration Index combines crypto ownership rates and trading volume (adjusted by the Gini coefficient for inequality) to provide an insightful analysis

Crypto has transformed from a speculative curiosity into a global financial phenomenon. As digital assets gain mainstream acceptance, one critical question remains: Where does crypto wealth truly reside? To understand the emerging financial geography, Multipolitan developed the Crypto Wealth Concentration Index 2025, revealing not just adoption, but actual concentration of crypto wealth globally.

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The Crypto Power Players

UAE – The Global Adoption Leader. With an astounding 25.3% of the population holding crypto, the UAE stands unmatched in adoption rates, boosted by proactive government policies and clear regulations that have turned cities like Dubai into thriving crypto hubs.

India – A Giant in Numbers. India boasts 118.9 million crypto holders, making it the largest crypto community worldwide. Despite regulatory hurdles, its retail investors continue to drive massive market participation, underscoring India’s growing influence.

USA – Still the Money Mover. The United States, home to some of the largest exchanges and institutional investors, dominates in trading volume, recording a massive $2.07 trillion. This immense activity cements the U.S. as a critical node in global crypto finance.

Slovenia, Cyprus, and Hong Kong – Small Nations, Big Influence. Slovenia tops trading volume per crypto owner, averaging $240,000 per individual, suggesting high per-user trading activity and concentrated wealth. Cyprus follows at $174,000, while Hong Kong stands at $77,000 per user, highlighting these regions as places where crypto wealth is concentrated.

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The Future is Borderless – and Fluid

Crypto wealth no longer belongs exclusively to traditional finance capitals like New York, London, or Singapore. It’s borderless, fluid, and finding new homes wherever innovation and clarity converge. Cities and nations that embrace these dynamics will set the stage for the next financial era. At Multipolitan we believe the future financial capital will be crypto forward.

This index is more than data—it’s a strategic tool guiding decisions about relocation, business growth, and asset management. Knowing where crypto wealth is concentrated today will determine tomorrow’s global financial landscape. The question now isn’t who’s adopting crypto—it’s who will hold the keys to crypto’s immense wealth in the future. The race for the ultimate crypto capital is just heating up. Please download Multipolitan's Crypto Report 2025 - The Future is Onchain and refer to the Appendices for complete methodology of the data presented here and references.