Amid renewed military clashes between India and Pakistan, Russian lawmaker Anatoly Aksakov suggests that increasing geopolitical tensions will drive up demand for Bitcoin (BTC). He notes that Bitcoin’s utility as a cross-border payment instrument—including for military transactions—renders it a 'safe haven' asset during global instability, drawing parallels to gold. Aksakov highlights that such uncertain periods historically result in rising interest and investments in both precious metals and cryptocurrencies.
Recent military strikes between India and Pakistan have led to over 31 casualties and are feared to escalate. During these events, Bitcoin surged to $103,000, marking a 6% weekly gain. In parallel, Ethereum (ETH) and Solana (SOL) also broke resistance, though the central focus remains on BTC's performance in this geopolitical context.
Standard Chartered’s digital assets head, Geoffrey Kendrick, revised his previous BTC price prediction, now expecting Bitcoin to reach $200,000 by year-end, due to mounting institutional interest and significant fund inflows into US Bitcoin ETFs—over $5.3 billion in just three weeks. Russia and other nations reportedly use digital assets, including ETH and stablecoins, in international trade and sanction evasion. Russian state-owned banks are also exploring stablecoin solutions for cross-border settlements.
Aksakov concludes that, while events in the US remain decisive given its large base of Bitcoin holders, ongoing regional instability will likely keep fueling safe-haven flows into Bitcoin and cryptocurrencies.
