Key Highlights
- Hostplus superannuation fund, Australia’s third-largest with 2.2 million members, is developing cryptocurrency investment options
- Digital assets may become available through the ChoicePlus self-managed platform by the upcoming financial year
- Implementation depends on securing regulatory clearance and addressing consumer safeguard requirements
- AMP became Australia’s first major super fund to access crypto markets through Bitcoin futures in 2024
- Self-managed super fund (SMSF) setups surged 69% annually in 2024–2025 as investors pursued cryptocurrency exposure
Hostplus, managing assets exceeding $105 billion for nearly 2.2 million Australians, is actively investigating the possibility of incorporating Bitcoin and alternative digital currencies into its investment offerings.
The fund’s Chief Investment Officer, Sam Sicilia, revealed that Hostplus is currently in the planning stages of integrating cryptocurrency options into its ChoicePlus platform. This platform enables members to exercise direct control over portions of their retirement portfolios.
Speaking with Bloomberg, Sicilia emphasized that member requests are the primary catalyst for this initiative. “There’s certainly a demand from some of our members who write in and say, ‘Why can’t I have access to cryptocurrency?'” he explained.
Currently, the ChoicePlus offering represents merely 1% of Hostplus’s overall assets under management. Any cryptocurrency products would be confined to this member-directed segment.
Sicilia noted that the digital asset landscape has evolved significantly since Hostplus initially examined it approximately ten years ago. The fund now contemplates expanding beyond Bitcoin to encompass a wider spectrum of crypto assets.
According to Bloomberg, these potential investments might extend to tokenized assets representing sectors like music royalties.
Sicilia indicated that digital currency options could launch as soon as the next financial year. Nevertheless, regulatory authorization must be secured before any rollout can proceed.
Outstanding issues regarding consumer protection frameworks and product design remain under development. “We’d love to get regulatory tick-off, even if it means waiting another six months,” Sicilia informed Bloomberg.
The Self-Managed Super Fund Migration
With major superannuation funds historically absent from cryptocurrency markets, numerous Australians have established Self-Managed Super Funds as an alternative. SMSFs are privately administered retirement accounts controlled by individuals instead of institutional fund managers.
According to data from Australian cryptocurrency platform BTC Markets, SMSF establishment rates increased 69% year-over-year throughout the 2024–2025 financial period.
OKX Australia’s CEO Kate Cooper noted in February that an expanding cohort of SMSF creators are motivated specifically by the desire to invest in digital currencies, frustrated by the absence of crypto access through traditional super funds.
AMP broke new ground as the inaugural major superannuation fund to enter this territory. In May 2024, the institution obtained indirect Bitcoin exposure via futures instruments.
Retirement Crypto Investments: The Wider Context
Australia’s combined superannuation holdings reached approximately $4.5 trillion Australian dollars by September 2025.
Internationally, President Donald Trump authorized an executive directive last August permitting cryptocurrency inclusion in 401(k) retirement accounts. Indiana has similarly enacted legislation allowing digital assets in select state-managed retirement programs.
With an average member age in the mid-to-late 30s, Hostplus’s demographic profile may partially account for the pronounced interest in digital asset investment opportunities within its membership base.
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