Australian Pension Giant Eyes Bitcoin Access For 2.2 Million Members
A major Australian pension fund is actively exploring ways to provide Bitcoin and cryptocurrency exposure to its 2.2 million members, responding to surging demand from retirement savers frustrated by the lack of digital asset options in traditional superannuation plans. This potential move follows a nearly 70% spike in Self-Managed Super Fund (SMSF) registrations in the 2024-2025 financial year, with industry analysts reporting a significant portion of new accounts were established specifically to buy Bitcoin and other crypto assets.
Pressure From Members Mounts
Hostplus, which manages more than $96 billion in assets for its members, is now moving to change that.
The fund’s chief investment officer, Sam Sicilia, confirmed it is weighing a plan to give members access to Bitcoin and other digital assets through its ChoicePlus investment option — a self-directed stream that lets people shape their own retirement portfolios.
Reports indicate the offering could be available as soon as the next financial year, pending regulatory sign-off and the resolution of consumer protection requirements still being worked through.
“There’s certainly a demand from some of our members who write in and say, ‘Why can’t I have access to cryptocurrency?'” Sicilia said.The fund ranks third in Australia by member count and fifth by total assets. Its membership of 2.2 million gives any policy shift significant reach across the country’s retirement system.
A Gap The Big Funds Left Open
Until now, Self-Managed Super Funds have been the main path for Australians wanting crypto in their retirement savings. These are accounts set up and run by individuals — a hands-on alternative to conventional institution-managed funds.
The sharp rise in SMSF registrations tracked by crypto exchange BTC Markets points to how many savers have been willing to take on that administrative burden just to gain access to digital assets.
Kate Cooper, the Australian chief executive of OKX, recently said that a growing number of new SMSFs are being created specifically to hold digital assets — because the option simply doesn’t exist inside the major funds.
Hostplus would not be the first big super fund to enter this space. AMP made that move back in May 2024, adding Bitcoin exposure to its strategy through futures contracts. Hostplus is following a path that has at least one set of footprints on it already.
The plan is not finalized. Sicilia said regulatory clearance is still needed, and the fund is prepared to wait for it.
“We’d love to get regulatory tick-off, even if it means waiting another six months,” he said, adding that six months is not a meaningful delay for an institution built around long-term investing.
Australia’s total superannuation pool stood at roughly $4.5 trillion AUD at the end of the September 2025 quarter — a number that underscores how much weight any shift in fund behavior carries for the broader financial system.
Featured image from MarkRubens/Getty Images, chart from TradingView
