Self-Managed Super Funds (SMSFs) registrations in Australia climbed almost 70% within the 2024–2025 monetary yr, with a lot of these new accounts arrange for one particular function: shopping for Bitcoin and different crypto property.
That surge displays a rising frustration — retirement savers need digital asset publicity, and many of the nation’s large tremendous funds haven’t been providing it.
Pressure From Members Mounts
Hostplus, which manages greater than $96 billion in property for its members, is now transferring to alter that.
The fund’s chief funding officer, Sam Sicilia, confirmed it’s weighing a plan to present members access to Bitcoin and different digital property by means of its ChoicePlus funding choice — a self-directed stream that lets folks form their very own retirement portfolios.
Hostplus ranks third amongst Australian pension funds by member rely, in keeping with monetary comparability web site Canstar.
Reports point out the providing may very well be obtainable as quickly as the subsequent monetary yr, pending regulatory sign-off and the decision of shopper safety necessities nonetheless being labored by means of.
“There’s certainly a demand from some of our members who write in and say, ‘Why can’t I have access to cryptocurrency?’” Sicilia mentioned.
The fund ranks third in Australia by member rely and fifth by complete property. Its membership of 2.2 million offers any coverage shift important attain throughout the nation’s retirement system.
A Gap The Big Funds Left Open
Until now, Self-Managed Super Funds have been the principle path for Australians wanting crypto of their retirement financial savings. These are accounts arrange and run by people — a hands-on different to traditional institution-managed funds.
The sharp rise in SMSF registrations tracked by crypto trade BTC Markets factors to what number of savers have been keen to tackle that administrative burden simply to realize entry to digital property.
BTCUSD now buying and selling at $71,125. Chart: TradingView
Kate Cooper, the Australian chief govt of OKX, just lately mentioned {that a} rising variety of new SMSFs are being created particularly to carry digital property — as a result of the choice merely doesn’t exist inside the main funds.
Hostplus wouldn’t be the primary large tremendous fund to enter this area. AMP made that transfer again in May 2024, including Bitcoin publicity to its technique by means of futures contracts. Hostplus is following a path that has not less than one set of footprints on it already.
Image: Da-kuk through Getty Images
Design Phase Still Has Hurdles
The plan shouldn’t be finalized. Sicilia mentioned regulatory clearance remains to be wanted, and the fund is ready to attend for it.
“We’d love to get regulatory tick-off, even if it means waiting another six months,” he mentioned, including that six months shouldn’t be a significant delay for an establishment constructed round long-term investing.
Australia’s complete superannuation pool stood at roughly $4.5 trillion AUD on the finish of the September 2025 quarter — a quantity that underscores how a lot weight any shift in fund habits carries for the broader monetary system.
Featured picture from MarkRubens/Getty Images, chart from TradingView
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