diff --git a/shared/src/commonMain/kotlin/xyz/tyiu/satsprice/SystemCurrencies.kt b/shared/src/commonMain/kotlin/xyz/tyiu/satsprice/SystemCurrencies.kt
index 8182859..bf029a1 100644
--- a/shared/src/commonMain/kotlin/xyz/tyiu/satsprice/SystemCurrencies.kt
+++ b/shared/src/commonMain/kotlin/xyz/tyiu/satsprice/SystemCurrencies.kt
@@ -40,6 +40,21 @@ private fun localizedRegionName(regionCode: String): String? {
 /** The current platform's localized display name for ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 [regionCode], if known. */
 expect fun regionDisplayName(regionCode: String): String?
 
+/**
+ * Pre-populates [regionDisplayNameCache] for every region code [currencies] issue from, so the
+ * first character typed into currency search doesn't pay for all of them at once. Intended to be
+ * called once, asynchronously, before the user has a chance to reach the search field — e.g. from
+ * a coroutine launched at startup, not blocking that launch's other work. Not thread-safe:
+ * [regionDisplayNameCache] is a plain, unsynchronized map, so this (like [matchesCurrencySearch])
+ * must only ever run on the single thread/dispatcher UI state changes are made from.
+ */
+fun warmRegionDisplayNameCache(currencies: List<CurrencyInfo>) {
+    currencies.asSequence()
+        .flatMap { issuingCountryCodes(it.code).asSequence() }
+        .distinct()
+        .forEach { regionCode -> localizedRegionName(regionCode) }
+}
+
 /**
  * ISO 4217 codes for the precious metals actively traded today. These aren't tied to any
  * country, so a currently-used-currency filter derived from country/locale data (as the
diff --git a/shared/src/commonMain/kotlin/xyz/tyiu/satsprice/ui/PriceViewModel.kt b/shared/src/commonMain/kotlin/xyz/tyiu/satsprice/ui/PriceViewModel.kt
index 039a1ba..1ec75ba 100644
--- a/shared/src/commonMain/kotlin/xyz/tyiu/satsprice/ui/PriceViewModel.kt
+++ b/shared/src/commonMain/kotlin/xyz/tyiu/satsprice/ui/PriceViewModel.kt
@@ -33,6 +33,7 @@ import xyz.tyiu.satsprice.domain.sanitizeIntegerInput
 import xyz.tyiu.satsprice.domain.toBigDecimalOrNull
 import xyz.tyiu.satsprice.localeCurrencyCode
 import xyz.tyiu.satsprice.systemCurrencies
+import xyz.tyiu.satsprice.warmRegionDisplayNameCache
 import kotlin.time.Instant
 
 private const val AUTO_REFRESH_INTERVAL_MILLIS = 60_000L
@@ -106,6 +107,10 @@ class PriceViewModel(
 
     init {
         manualSource.currencyCode = defaultCurrencyCode
+        // Fired off separately (rather than folded into the launch below) so it doesn't delay
+        // that one's own startup work — this just needs to finish before the user reaches the
+        // currency picker's search field, not before anything else.
+        viewModelScope.launch { warmRegionDisplayNameCache(systemCurrencyList) }
         viewModelScope.launch {
             selectedCurrenciesStore.loadSelectedCurrencies().takeIf { it.isNotEmpty() }?.let { persisted ->
                 lastPersistedSelection = persisted