Central Bank of Russia report: Bitcoin ranks among the top in all assets

Source: cointribune

Compiled by: Blockchain Knight

As the global economic landscape undergoes a readjustment, the Central Bank of Russia has unexpectedly spoken out. In its latest report, the Central Bank of Russia lists BTC as a leading financial asset for 2025. This acknowledgment comes from an institution that has been cautious toward crypto assets thus far, which is indeed surprising.

This shift not only highlights the outstanding performance of BTC as an asset but also demonstrates its increasing integration into investment strategies, even in a tightly controlled financial environment like Russia.

The Central Bank of Russia recognizes the outstanding performance of BTC.

In an official report released in May 2025, the Central Bank of Russia (CBR) acknowledged that BTC had performed exceptionally well over the past 12 months.

The document states: “The annual return rate of BTC is close to 40%, outperforming all other analyzed financial instruments.”

The report provides an accurate comparison of the return rates of various assets, covering gold to Russian Federal Bonds (OFZ), as well as stocks from specific industries.

In addition, the report also pointed out: “Since January 2022, the cumulative return rate of BTC has reached 121%”, which is considered enormous compared to traditional assets, most of which have not exceeded single-digit returns.

The analysis is based on the two sets of data presented in report charts 36 and 37, comparing the performance of various financial instruments over the past 12 months and since January 2022. The assets analyzed mainly include:

Russian Federal Bonds (OFZ), usually regarded as a stable benchmark, but their yields have been quite modest.

Deposits in rubles and euros showed no performance exceeding 5% to 6%;

Gold only achieved a single-digit increase during the observation period;

Russian sector stocks (energy, transportation, finance, consumer) and the Russian trading system index (MOEX), all of these assets perform worse than BTC;

The Standard & Poor’s 500 Total Return Index (S&P 500 TR) and U.S. Treasury bonds have also been surpassed in cumulative performance by crypto assets.

Although this quantitative recognition was presented within a neutral analytical framework, it breaks the historically cautious and even resistant attitude of the Russian authorities towards BTC.

It highlights the rise of an asset that, although not officially supported, is now emerging due to its impressive return on investment.

Sustained volatility and global adoption

Despite the Russian central bank emphasizing the return rate of BTC, it did not overlook the inherent risks brought by its volatility. The report pointed out: “In the first four months of 2025, the price of BTC fell by nearly 20%”, this setback severely shook the market and tested the resilience of investors.

However, the crypto asset market has rebounded rapidly, with an increase of over 10% in April, helping to offset the losses from the first quarter. These drastic fluctuations remind us that, although BTC is quite attractive, it remains a high-risk asset that is prone to sudden pullbacks.

In addition to the situation within Russia, the report from the Central Bank of Russia also emphasized the external factors supporting the growth of BTC. In particular, the spot BTC ETFs launched by the United States and Hong Kong played a decisive role.

The analysis points out: “Accessing BTC through traditional brokers has made it easier, promoting the increasing popularity of BTC,” and emphasizes that investors no longer need to master complex digital wallet technology.

In addition, the instability of the macroeconomy, whether it’s the depreciation of the ruble or the uncertain global environment related to the trade war, has prompted savers to turn to dollar-denominated assets such as BTC.