The Impact of Cryptocurrency Adoption on Stock Market Capitalization: A Cross-Country Analysis

This study investigates the relationship between cryptocurrency adoption and stock market capitalization across countries, while controlling for GDP per capita. Using cross-sectional data from 154 countries, we employ ordinary least squares regression to analyze this relationship. The findings reveal a statistically significant positive association between cryptocurrency adoption and stock market capitalization. Specifically, that a one-unit increase in the cryptocurrency adoption score is associated with a 182.614 percentage point increase in stock market capitalization as a percentage of GDP. In addition, GDP per capita shows a significant positive relationship with stock market capitalization, confirming the connection between economic development and financial market depth. These results suggest that cryptocurrency adoption complements traditional financial markets rather than substituting, offering important insights for policymakers, investors, and researchers in understanding the evolving financial landscape. This study contributes to the growing literature on cryptocurrency markets by providing a broader, cross-country perspective on how digital currency growth affects traditional financial markets. Our findings have implications for financial market development, economic policy, and investment strategies in an increasingly digitalized global economy.