Bitget, Avalanche form crypto partnership in India

Bitget, a cryptocurrency exchange with 100 million users, has announced a partnership with Avalanche to support community initiatives across India, one of the fastest-growing areas for crypto and Web3 developers. The partnership will see at least $10 million doled out in mini-grants, scholarships, hackathons, and workshops to the Web3 community in the country. The initial focus will be in Delhi and Bangalore. Delhi is the most populous city in India, and Bangalore is known as the local “Silicon Valley.” Cryptocurrency activity in India has surged over the past two years. According to CoinSwitch, a local exchange, crypto investment across the country accelerated in 2024, with the highest concentrations in Delhi (20.1%), Bengaluru (9.6%), and Mumbai (6.5%). Youth 18- to 35-years-old now account for nearly 75% of the country's crypto investors. While Bitcoin ( BTC ) and Ether ( ETH ) remained popular choices, Dogecoin ( DOGE ) attracted the most investment in 2024, with other memecoins like Shiba Inu ( SHIB ) and Pepe ( PEPE ) also gaining significant traction. Related: India has no plans to regulate crypto sales and purchases India's tech market The growth of India’s crypto ecosystem coincides with a wave of global exchanges either reentering the market or actively exploring a return. In February 2025, Bybit registered with local authorities and restored services in the country. In the same month, Coinbase began discussions with regulators seeking a comeback in the Indian market. India is expected to be among the first countries to finalize a bilateral trade agreement with the United States, aiming to avoid the imposition of reciprocal tariffs by President Donald Trump. In addition, the country is reportedly seeking a pact with the US to gain access to certain technologies and exports. According to Web3 venture capital firm Hashed Emergent, India already accounts for 12% of Web3 developers worldwide and contributed 17% of all new developers entering the crypto space in 2024. Related: Indian authorities arrest alleged Garantex founder for US extradition