Czech National Bank Governor Advocates for Including Bitcoin in Central Bank Reserves, Calling It "The Future"

April 29th, Ales Michl, President of the Czech National Bank, delivered a keynote at the Bitcoin 2026 Conference, explicitly pushing for Bitcoin to be included in central bank reserve assets. He noted the central bank manages roughly $180 billion in reserves, and internal analysis shows a 1% Bitcoin allocation would boost expected returns. Additionally, since Bitcoin has low correlation with other reserve assets, overall risk would stay nearly unchanged. “Most people wouldn’t link central banks and Bitcoin—I would,” Michl said. “This is the future.” The Czech National Bank has led in this space: Michl first proposed Bitcoin as a reserve diversification tool in January 2025, then suggested a maximum 5% Bitcoin allocation. In November 2025, it completed its first digital asset purchase via a test portfolio that included Bitcoin. Stepan Uherik, CFO of Trezor, noted Michl’s speech pushed back against criticism that Bitcoin “lacks liquidity or isn’t secure enough,” adding the question has shifted from “Is Bitcoin ready?” to “Can other central banks afford to ignore this development?” Previously, the Czech National Bank (CNB) announced it is launching a $1 million experimental digital asset portfolio covering Bitcoin, a USD stablecoin, and tokenized deposits.