Hostplus, Australia’s third-largest super fund by member count, is investigating whether to give members access to cryptocurrency after receiving requests from its investor base. Sam Sicilia, the fund’s chief investment officer, said some members have written in asking why they can’t include crypto in their retirement portfolios. The fund is looking at making crypto available through its ChoicePlus self‑management platform, potentially as early as the next financial year.
The proposal remains in development and would require regulatory approval and clear consumer protections before any launch. Sicilia emphasised the fund is prepared to wait for regulators to set the guardrails, noting that as long‑term investors a delay of months would not alter their strategy materially.
By membership, Hostplus ranks third among Australian super funds and sits fifth by assets under management, holding around $96 billion (about A$139 billion), according to Canstar. For context, Australia’s total superannuation assets were estimated at roughly A$4.5 trillion at the end of the September 2025 quarter.
AMP was the first major Australian super fund to add crypto exposure, introducing Bitcoin futures in May 2024. Sicilia also noted that when Hostplus first examined digital assets about a decade ago the sector looked very different, underlining how much the market has evolved.
Today, self‑managed super funds (SMSFs) are the primary route for Australians to hold crypto inside retirement savings. BTC Markets reported a 69% year‑on‑year rise in SMSF registrations during the 2024–2025 financial year. Kate Cooper, CEO of OKX Australia, has said that part of the exchange’s growth stems from SMSF trustees creating funds specifically to invest in digital assets because most large super funds have not offered direct crypto access.
Hostplus’s consideration of crypto options reflects growing member interest and broader institutional and retail adoption in Australia. Any formal offering will be contingent on regulatory clearance and the establishment of appropriate safeguards to protect members.