Czech National Bank Governor Will Soon Speak On Why They’re Diversifying Their Reserves With Bitcoin

Aleš Michl has been officially confirmed as a speaker at Bitcoin 2026, where he will deliver a keynote titled “Diversifying Central Bank Reserves With Bitcoin” on April 28 at 10:20 AM PT on the Nakamoto Stage at The Venetian Resort in Las Vegas. Michl serves as Governor of the Czech National Bank (CNB) — and his presence at the event marks a significant moment as he becomes the first central bank governor to speak at The Bitcoin Conference.

In January 2025, Michl proposed allocating up to 5% of the CNB’s €140 billion reserves into Bitcoin, citing its low correlation with traditional assets like bonds as a key factor making it an attractive diversification option. The proposal drew international attention and pushback. The proposal drew international attention that saw pushback from central bank elites. Like from the European Central Bank’s President, Christine Lagarde, who publicly said she was confident Bitcoin would not ever enter the reserves of any EU central banks. Even though the Czech Republic does not use the euro, Michl has shown little sign of being moved by the criticism.

In November 2025, the CNB made its first-ever digital asset purchase — a $1 million test portfolio that included Bitcoin, a U.S. dollar-based stablecoin, and a tokenized deposit, built inside the CNB Lab to test the operational realities of holding blockchain-based instruments from the central bank’s perspective. Michl framed it as an exercise in preparedness rather than speculation. “The aim was to test decentralised bitcoin from the central bank’s perspective and to evaluate its potential role in diversifying our reserves,” he said. “We’ll inform the public about our experience on an ongoing basis and present an assessment in two to three years.”

His Bitcoin 2026 keynote will offer a rare perspective from inside a sitting central bank — one that has moved from discussion to actual Bitcoin purchase, and is watching how the broader global monetary system is beginning to respond. Bitcoin 2026 takes place April 27–29 at The Venetian Resort in Las Vegas.