Australian Pension Giant Eyes Bitcoin Access For 2.2 Million Members
Self-Managed Super Funds (SMSFs) registrations in Australia climbed practically 70% within the 2024–2025 monetary 12 months, with lots of these new accounts arrange for one particular objective: 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 shifting 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 way of its ChoicePlus funding possibility — a self-directed stream that lets individuals form their very own retirement portfolios.
Reports point out the providing might be obtainable as quickly as the following monetary 12 months, pending regulatory sign-off and the decision of shopper safety necessities nonetheless being labored by way of.
“There’s definitely a requirement from a few of our members who write in and say, ‘Why can’t I’ve entry 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 various to traditional institution-managed funds.
The sharp rise in SMSF registrations tracked by crypto change BTC Markets factors to what number of savers have been keen to tackle that administrative burden simply to achieve entry to digital property.
Kate Cooper, the Australian chief government of OKX, not too long ago 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 most important 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 way of futures contracts. Hostplus is following a path that has at the very least one set of footprints on it already.
Design Phase Still Has Hurdles
The plan isn’t finalized. Sicilia mentioned regulatory clearance remains to be wanted, and the fund is ready to attend for it.
“We’d like to get regulatory tick-off, even when it means ready one other six months,” he mentioned, including that six months isn’t 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 conduct carries for the broader monetary system.
Featured picture from MarkRubens/Getty Images, chart from TradingView
