Key Highlights
- Hostplus manages $105 billion for approximately 2.2 million Australian retirement savers
- Digital currency investments may become available through ChoicePlus self-directed accounts by next financial year
- Regulatory clearance and consumer safeguards must be finalized before launch
- AMP became the first Australian superannuation fund to access cryptocurrency markets through Bitcoin futures in 2024
- Self-managed super fund registrations surged 69% during 2024–2025 as savers pursued alternative crypto access
Hostplus, ranking among Australia’s top three pension funds, is developing plans to provide Bitcoin and additional digital currencies to its membership base. The organization oversees more than $105 billion in retirement assets for nearly 2.2 million Australians.
Sam Sicilia, serving as Chief Investment Officer, revealed that the fund is currently designing the framework for incorporating cryptocurrency into its ChoicePlus platform. This platform enables members to directly control specific portions of their retirement portfolios.
Speaking with Bloomberg, Sicilia emphasized that member requests are fueling 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.
The ChoicePlus platform represents approximately 1% of Hostplus’s overall asset base. Digital currency options would be integrated exclusively within this member-directed segment of the fund.
Sicilia noted that cryptocurrency markets have evolved significantly since Hostplus initially examined them around ten years ago. The fund is now evaluating Bitcoin alongside a wider spectrum of digital investment vehicles.
These potential offerings might encompass tokenized assets linked to sectors including music royalties, Bloomberg reported.
The digital asset program could launch as soon as the upcoming financial year, Sicilia indicated. Regulatory authorization remains a prerequisite before any implementation can proceed.
Questions surrounding consumer protections and investment vehicle design are still under consideration. “We’d love to get regulatory tick-off, even if it means waiting another six months,” Sicilia told Bloomberg.
The Shift Toward Self-Managed Retirement Vehicles
Because leading superannuation providers have historically excluded cryptocurrency options, numerous Australians have migrated to Self-Managed Super Funds. These vehicles are established and controlled by individuals rather than institutional fund managers.
SMSF registrations increased 69% year-over-year throughout the 2024–2025 financial period, data from Australian cryptocurrency platform BTC Markets shows.
OKX Australia CEO Kate Cooper stated in February that an expanding proportion of SMSFs are being created primarily for digital asset investment purposes, driven by the absence of crypto access through traditional superannuation funds.
AMP pioneered institutional involvement in this sector. During May 2024, it established indirect Bitcoin exposure utilizing futures instruments.
Cryptocurrency in Global Retirement Systems
Australia’s combined superannuation holdings reached approximately $4.5 trillion Australian dollars by September 2025.
Across the Pacific, President Donald Trump authorized an executive order last August permitting 401(k) retirement plans to incorporate cryptocurrency holdings. Indiana has similarly enacted legislation allowing digital assets in select state-administered retirement programs.
Hostplus serves members with an average age in the mid-to-late 30s, a demographic factor that may contribute to heightened interest in digital asset investment opportunities within the fund.
