Crypto Indices, answered.

The flagship Crypto Index. Five assets: BTC, ETH, Solana, Gold, and a stable reserve. Rebalanced monthly. The Solana allocation is the mechanical advantage that separates Growth from Core, and the Gold allocation buffers bear markets. Crypto investments carry market risk, and past performance does not guarantee future results.

The conservative index. Four assets: Bitcoin, Ethereum, Gold, and a stable reserve. Rebalanced monthly. The Gold allocation acts as a structural buffer that absorbed much of the 2022 bear market through counter-cyclical rebalancing.

The full-conviction index. Three assets: BTC, ETH, and Solana, with no hedge. Rebalanced monthly. Built for a multi-year horizon and a deliberate decision to maximise crypto exposure.

A Qatobit-designed index of eight global companies at the intersection of technology, digital finance, and innovation. Rebalanced monthly. It is structured differently from a mutual fund.

Every QSI index resets to its target weights on a fixed monthly schedule, trimming what has grown and topping up what has lagged, so the index holds its intended construction instead of drifting with the market.

A Crypto Index is a curated basket of digital assets, selected against defined eligibility criteria, weighted by a documented scheme, and rebalanced on a set cadence. You hold proportional exposure to every asset in the basket. The methodology handles the allocation logic. You own the methodology, not the coin-picking decision. The basket's construction, weighting, and schedule define the product.

Holding individual coins ties your performance to the specific behaviour of each asset, including its technical roadmap, community governance, and regulatory standing in any jurisdiction. A Crypto Index holds a basket weighted by methodology. The single-coin position and the index allocation are structurally different instruments. The index does not remove crypto risk. It removes the requirement to pick the right crypto asset within the class.

Selection starts with eligibility: a market-cap minimum, a daily volume liquidity floor, and a listing requirement. Assets that pass all three enter the eligible universe. Free-float adjustment then strips out developer-held and locked supply before weighting. The weighting scheme, one of market-cap weighted, equal-weight, square-root weighted, or capped market-cap weighted, determines how much of the basket each eligible asset represents. Stablecoins and wrapped tokens are excluded by design.

Crypto Indices are a separate product category in India. The regulatory structure applicable to Crypto Indices is different from the structure applicable to SEBI-supervised investment instruments. These are different product categories with different frameworks. Understanding this distinction is part of making an informed allocation decision. QSI GEQ8 specifically sits outside SEBI regulation, which is stated in its product documentation.

No construction removes the risk of the asset class falling. A QSI index still falls when the broader crypto market falls, buffer included. What the construction manages is concentration risk, the risk tied to one asset behaving badly. Market risk, the risk tied to the asset class as a whole, stays with the investor.

Reviews can happen off-cycle when something breaks: an asset failing one of the standing screens, a structural break in its liquidity, or a security failure in the holding itself. Price movement on its own is not one of those triggers, so a fall waits for the next scheduled date. Any change that comes out of an off-cycle review is versioned and dated like the rest.

It can. In a falling month the rule more often runs the other way, buying back into Bitcoin and Ethereum with capital sourced from Gold and the stable reserve. In a rising month it trims the crypto sleeve and tops the buffer back up. Which way a given month goes depends on which part of the basket drifted furthest from its target weight.

Five elements form the core: eligibility criteria for assets, the weighting scheme, the rebalancing cadence and trigger, the full cost structure, and operational transparency including Live Proof of Reserves. A serious methodology answers all five quantitatively, in written form, available before any purchase commitment. A product that cannot be evaluated on all five points has incomplete documentation.

Read the methodology document and look for quantitative thresholds, mechanical triggers, and stated rules. Phrases like "manager discretion", "proprietary considerations", or "subject to review" indicate discretionary management rather than rule-based indexing. A genuine index reduces or eliminates the manager's day-to-day decisions; a discretionary product retains them. Both can be legitimate, but they are different categories with different risk profiles.

The weighting scheme determines what you actually own. A market-cap weighted basket of seven crypto assets typically concentrates over 60 percent in Bitcoin and Ethereum combined, giving you mostly two-asset exposure. A square-root weighted basket of the same seven distributes weight more evenly across constituents. The two products hold the same assets but produce different return and risk profiles. The weighting choice is the most consequential design decision after constituent selection.

A Crypto Index without a public, downloadable methodology document is not a candidate for allocation. The methodology is the product. If the document is unavailable or held back behind sales conversations, treat the product as opaque. Opacity is itself a finding that fails point 5 of the framework, regardless of how the other four points look. Allocate only to products whose methodology you can read in full before purchase.

Growth carries Core's same four holdings plus a Solana allocation, aimed at an investor who wants Core's buffer and a documented upside lever. Core alone suits an investor who wants the buffer without exposure to Solana specifically. Neither construction is designed to outrank the other.

GEQ8 holds eight global companies across a Platform, Digital Finance, and Innovation sleeve, and none of them is a coin. It shares the monthly-rebalance discipline of the three crypto indexes and is a distinct product, priced at 0.35% per rebalance with no annual management fee.

Yes. Each index carries its own ₹2,000 minimum and can be entered independently, by lump sum or Crypto SIP. Combining two, Core for stability and VRION for conviction for instance, is a two-part decision that the range is built to allow.

All four rebalance monthly. GEQ8 also carries a quarterly composition review, since its constituent companies and their weights are expected to shift as the underlying businesses do, while Core, Growth, and VRION hold fixed asset lists.

QSI Core is four-asset with the Gold buffer, designed as a conservative crypto allocation. QSI Growth is five-asset, adding Solana to the QSI Core construction for additional upside. QSI VRION is three-asset, holding only Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Solana, with no buffer or stable reserve, designed for full crypto conviction. QSI GEQ8 is a Qatobit-designed Crypto Index of 8 global companies at the intersection of technology, digital finance, and innovation, sitting outside SEBI regulation. Each index serves a different point on the risk and conviction spectrum.

Solana is the growth lever in the construction. Solana's network has demonstrated specific growth characteristics in throughput, developer activity, and use-case adoption that operate independently of Bitcoin and Ethereum's growth vectors. Including Solana converts the crypto core from two assets to three and adds an upside exposure at a different risk-return point. The volatility profile of Solana is typically higher than Bitcoin and Ethereum; the construction takes on more volatility for more upside potential.

QSI GEQ8 holds 8 global companies across three sleeves: Platform (Apple, Amazon, Alphabet, Meta, NVIDIA), Digital finance (Coinbase, Robinhood Markets), and Innovation (Tesla). The exact weights drift between monthly rebalances and are governed by the methodology document; the current composition is available on the QSI GEQ8 product page.

A crypto basket is a structured grouping of crypto assets: any platform-bundled collection that can be bought in a single transaction. A Crypto Index is a basket with five additional features: documented methodology, defined constituents, mechanical rebalancing, transparent fees, and accountable design. The five features together produce a disciplined construction that the investor can understand, hold against, and evaluate. A basket without those features is a curated grouping that may shift without documented rules.

Not exactly. Every Crypto Index is a basket (because an index is a structured grouping of assets), but not every basket is a Crypto Index. The terms are often used interchangeably in casual conversation and in some marketing copy, but the structural distinction matters. An index commits to a documented construction; a generic basket may not. The investor should look at the five features to determine which category a product falls into.

A "real" Crypto Index has all five features: documented methodology (the rules are written down and published), defined constituents (the asset list is governed by the methodology), mechanical rebalancing (the rebalances run by rule, not discretion), transparent fees (the fee structure is clearly disclosed), and accountable design (a named methodology owner is responsible for the construction and updates). A product missing one or more of these features is somewhere between a basket and an index; the investor should know which features are present.

A Crypto Index is structurally easier to evaluate and hold against than a generic crypto basket. For most investors with a long-horizon allocation thesis, an index is the more defensible choice because the documented construction gives the investor the articulation they need to hold through difficult periods. A generic basket may be acceptable for a small, tactical allocation, but is structurally weaker as a long-horizon holding because the investor cannot evaluate the construction or anticipate its behaviour through market regime changes.

At each monthly rebalancing, assets that have drifted above their target weight are trimmed and assets that have drifted below are increased. The rebalancing keeps your actual exposure close to the index's intended composition. You remain invested throughout the process. The rebalancing is not a liquidation event. The fee applies to the amount transacted during the rebalancing, not to your full portfolio value. **Disclaimer** Crypto investments are subject to market risk and volatility. Past performance is not indicative of future returns. This is not investment advice. Please consult a qualified financial advisor before investing.

Gold's low correlation with the crypto sleeve is what makes the monthly correction work in both directions: a position to trim when Bitcoin and Ethereum are down, and a position to top up when they recover. The stable reserve backs both moves as the basket's funding layer. QSI Core's own methodology carries the exact sizing, which drifts between rebalances, so a figure quoted here would be stale within a month.

Monthly is the institutional standard for crypto indices, and it is the cadence used across major institutional providers and the four QSI Crypto Indices. Crypto's intra-month volatility is high enough that quarterly rebalancing lets the basket drift significantly between reviews. Weekly rebalancing is rarely justified because the higher rebalance frequency multiplies transaction costs without producing materially better composition discipline.

VRION is built for investors who have chosen full crypto conviction over a minimum five-year horizon. Leaving the buffer out is intentional: it hands both the downside and the upside of Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Solana straight to the investor.

Holding Ethereum directly gives concentrated exposure to one specific asset. Holding through a Crypto Index gives diversified exposure to a basket that includes Ethereum alongside other constituents. The choice depends on the investor's view: a specific conviction in Ethereum supports the direct position; a thesis on the broader asset class supports the basket. The QSI Crypto Indices from Qatobit hold Ethereum in three of four indices, with the construction designed for portfolio investors rather than single-asset specialists. **Disclaimer** Crypto investments are subject to market risk and volatility. Past performance is not indicative of future returns. This is not investment advice. Please consult a qualified financial advisor before investing. *Written by [Rudra](/about/team/rudra), Head of Marketing, Qatobit.*

Gold acts as a structural buffer. Gold and crypto are typically lowly correlated, and during severe crypto drawdowns Gold has historically held value or appreciated. The monthly rebalance uses this property mechanically: when crypto is strong and Gold has fallen below target, Gold is bought; when crypto is weak and Gold has risen above target, Gold is trimmed. The pattern of trimming highs and buying troughs is the counter-cyclical effect the buffer produces over time.

The per-index minimum is ₹2,000. A Crypto SIP into QSI Growth also starts at ₹2,000 per cadence at all available cadences (weekly, biweekly, or monthly). The minimum applies on each purchase, whether a one-time buy or a SIP cadence buy. Deposits to the platform start at ₹200; the ₹2,000 minimum is specific to the QSI Growth index allocation. **Disclaimer** Crypto investments are subject to market risk and volatility. Past performance is not indicative of future returns. This is not investment advice. Please consult a qualified financial advisor before investing. *Written by [Sneha](/about/team/sneha), Content Strategist, Qatobit Research Team.*

QSI VRION holds three assets: Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Solana. No Gold buffer. No stable reserve. The construction is top-weighted to Bitcoin and Ethereum, with Solana as the smaller growth allocation. Specific weights are published in the methodology document and drift between monthly rebalances; static weight numbers are not published here because they would mislead readers who encountered them after a rebalance shifted the targets.

QSI VRION removes the Gold buffer and the stable reserve that QSI Growth retains. QSI Growth has five constituents (Bitcoin, Ethereum, Solana, Gold, stable reserve); QSI VRION has three (Bitcoin, Ethereum, Solana). The construction is more concentrated in crypto and therefore both more exposed to crypto upside and more exposed to crypto drawdown. QSI Growth is the upside-leaning construction with structural buffer; QSI VRION is the full-conviction construction without it.

QSI VRION is designed for the investor whose crypto conviction is already established and whose horizon is long enough that the diversifying value of Gold and a stable reserve inside the index is unnecessary. The Gold buffer in QSI Core and QSI Growth exists to dampen the drawdown experience for investors who would otherwise capitulate; the stable reserve provides operational rebalancing capital. QSI VRION's investor profile does not require either of those functions inside the basket, so the construction removes them and gives full exposure to the three crypto positions instead.

QSI VRION is designed for investors with established crypto conviction, a multi-year horizon, and the drawdown tolerance to absorb a pure-crypto basket through its downside periods. The construction is not built for first-time crypto allocators (QSI Core is the conservative entry point) or for investors who want some upside lift while retaining structural protection (QSI Growth is the middle position). QSI VRION sits at the conviction end of the QSI crypto suite by design. **Disclaimer** Crypto investments are subject to market risk and volatility. Past performance is not indicative of future returns. This is not investment advice. Please consult a qualified financial advisor before investing. *Written by [Sneha](/about/team/sneha), Content Strategist, Qatobit Research Team.*

No. Crypto, gold, and equity occupy different positions in a portfolio's risk architecture. Gold is a low-correlation diversifier and historical store of value with relatively low volatility. Equity is the structural growth engine with moderate volatility and dividend characteristics. Crypto is a high-volatility emerging asset class with structural growth characteristics. The three are complements rather than substitutes. A portfolio that replaces one with another loses the diversifying benefit of holding them together and concentrates the risk profile.

QSI Core, QSI Growth, and QSI VRION hold crypto assets (Bitcoin, Ethereum, Solana, plus Gold and a stable reserve in Core and Growth). QSI GEQ8 holds 8 global companies. The construction discipline is the same across all four: structured basket, documented methodology, mechanical monthly rebalancing, and the same 0.35 percent basket fee with no annual management fee. Only the underlying asset class differs.

A SEBI-registered mutual fund holds equity directly under SEBI's regulatory regime. QSI GEQ8 is a Crypto Index that holds equity exposure to the same kind of global companies, but it sits outside SEBI regulation, inside Qatobit's own index methodology. The two serve different portfolio roles and operate under different regulatory frameworks; an investor whose portfolio requires SEBI-registered mutual fund holdings should hold those products separately. QSI GEQ8 is a complement, not a substitute.

A SEBI-registered mutual fund operates under SEBI's regulatory framework, with the fund's holdings, fee structure, and management governed by mutual fund regulations. A crypto basket or Crypto Index operates within the VDA framework under Indian tax law, with gains taxed at 30 percent flat under Section 115BBH at transfer time. The two products serve different portfolio roles and operate under different regulatory frameworks; an investor whose portfolio requires SEBI-registered mutual fund holdings should hold those products separately. Crypto baskets and Crypto Indices are complementary to mutual funds, not substitutes. **Disclaimer** Crypto investments are subject to market risk and volatility. Past performance is not indicative of future returns. This is not investment advice. Please consult a qualified financial advisor before investing. *Written by [Sneha](/about/team/sneha), Content Strategist, Qatobit Research Team.*

No. Every holder of an index holds the same fixed set of assets on the same date. Removing one holding from a single account is not an operation the methodology supports. The fixed list is what makes custody and rebalancing operationally possible across every account holding that index at once.

No. Weights are set by the asset's role, the risk it adds to the basket, and a concentration cap decided in advance, such as GEQ8's 15% to 3% range. No account gets a different weight from any other. The cap itself can only change if Qatobit updates the published methodology, a versioned and dated change, never a per-account adjustment.

QSI VRION. It holds three assets, Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Solana, with no Gold buffer and no stable reserve, and carries a stated five-year minimum horizon because of it.

Quick Buy/Sell. It buys or sells a single cryptocurrency directly with INR, entirely outside any index, for an investor whose conviction is genuinely single-asset.

Core, Growth, and VRION hold a fixed asset list and rebalance only the weights inside it. GEQ8's eight companies can rotate, but only through the methodology's own quarterly review or a defined off-cycle trigger, never a request from one account.

A stated rule with no number behind it: "quality assets," "competitive fees," "rebalanced periodically." Each is a placeholder where a criterion should be. A placeholder cannot be checked against anything real.

Yes. A cap decides what happens the month one asset runs far ahead of the rest. Without one, a basket can end up concentrated in whichever asset had the best year. That defeats the point of holding a basket at all.

Because an unversioned methodology can be redefined quietly and still carry the same product name. A versioned, dated one lets you read today's rule against the rule you signed up to.

Yes. Eligibility screens, weight caps, and rebalancing cadence can all be revised over an index's life. What decides whether the revision is trustworthy is whether anyone outside the firm reviewed it before it took effect. Getting it recorded afterward is a lower bar on its own.

A rebalance is the existing rule executing on schedule: trimming what has grown, topping up what has lagged. A rule change works on the rule itself, such as a new eligibility screen, a moved weight cap, or an added trigger for an off-cycle review.

For QSI indexes, a change runs through the same documented change control the methodology describes: written down, versioned, and dated, with the previous version left readable. Nobody outside Qatobit reviews a proposed change before it goes live today.

Some do. S&P Dow Jones Indices runs a proposed methodology change through a public consultation before its Index Committee decides, so outside stakeholders can comment before the change locks in. Qatobit does not yet run an equivalent public step.

A static weight printed today is already out of date after the next monthly rebalance. The specific calibration is the part every serious index keeps to itself while publishing the logic that sets it. The rule for how a weight is derived, and any change to that rule, stays public regardless.

A QSI index manages concentration risk, the danger of one bad pick doing outsized damage, by holding several positions on stated rules. Market risk still travels with it. If crypto as an asset class falls, an index built on it falls too.

Yes. Quick Buy/Sell handles direct exposure to a single coin, and a QSI index handles a systematic core. A disciplined investor can run both, for different reasons, at once.

An asset that fails a standing screen, on liquidity, security, or market structure, stays out of the index in the first place. If a held asset breaks a screen mid-cycle, it can trigger an off-cycle review outside the monthly date. [A five-point framework for judging any index's methodology](/learn/blog/how-to-evaluate-any-crypto-index-methodology) walks through how those screens work.

Only when you sell or redeem part or all of your own holding. That sale is taxed at 30 percent under Section 115BBH, with 1 percent withheld at source as TDS under Section 194S.

Not automatically. Actively managed products are a legitimate, common category in every asset class. Disclosing that a team makes the calls is more honest than implying a formula that does not exist. The category matters less than whether the platform is accurate about which one it is running.