Crypto Becomes a Financial Shield for Iranians Amid Protests

Bitcoin Use Surges as Iranians Turn to Crypto to Escape Inflation and Unrest

Written by: Supriya Kadu

Edited by: Rajan Mhatre

Last Updated: January 19, 2026

Summary: Iran’s crypto market nears $8 billion as Bitcoin use jumps amid unrest and currency collapse.

Tehran — When economic trouble and street protests collide, people look for ways to protect their savings. That’s what’s happening in Iran, where the cryptocurrency market swelled to about $7.8 billion in 2025, according to blockchain data from Chainalysis — a big jump from the year before.

Across the country, inflation has been painfully high — rates lingered between 40 per cent and 50 per cent over the past year — and the Iranian rial has lost most of its value against major currencies. Those pressures, combined with political unrest and periodic internet blackouts, have pushed many ordinary Iranians to look beyond local banks and cash, turning instead to **Bitcoin and stablecoins as a way to hang onto their money.

One telling trend is that during waves of protest, Bitcoin withdrawals from exchanges to personal wallets spiked sharply. That suggests ordinary users aren’t just trading — they’re taking possession of crypto so they control it directly, rather than leaving funds on platforms that might be restricted or harder to access amid disruptions.

It’s not just everyday people in the picture. Analytics show that wallets linked to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) — a powerful state-linked organisation — accounted for more than half of Iran’s crypto activity by value in late 2025, with those addresses receiving over $3 billion worth of crypto through the year.

For many Iranians watching the rial weaken and grappling with tight controls on banks and foreign currency flows, crypto provides a degree of financial flexibility they don’t see in the traditional system. Bitcoin’s appeal in particular lies in its relative independence from government-controlled financial rails — once someone moves funds into their own wallet, it’s far harder to restrict or freeze those assets.

Simultaneously, this growth uncovers a bigger contradiction: the very technology that provides safety for civilians can also be exploited by sanctioned organisations trying to bypass global restrictions. The growing crypto market in Iran is trapped between the need for economic survival and growing geopolitical tension.

The significance of cryptocurrency as a financial help and a geopolitical tool will remain vital in the upcoming months, as the rial continues to face difficulties and protests show no signs of abating.