Key Points
- Holdings of digital currencies within Australian do-it-yourself retirement savings plans saw a surge in value during the early months of 2024. This growth leveled off around A$3 billion by June 2025.
- Traditional assets like company shares, liquid cash, and real estate continue to represent the majority of investments held within self-managed superannuation funds (SMSFs).
- Sources indicate that SMSFs are structured to prioritize lower-risk investments and long-term stability.
New figures reveal that Australian self-directed retirement funds possessed approximately A$3.02 billion (equivalent to US$1.9 billion) in various cryptocurrencies as of the end of June. These numbers suggest that these funds generally avoided participating in the recent upswing experienced by the digital asset market.
These specialized retirement accounts, officially known as self-managed superannuation funds (SMSFs), provide Australians with the ability to directly oversee their retirement investments. This contrasts with traditional models where larger industry or retail funds manage those assets.
Collectively, these self-managed funds represent approximately one-quarter of Australia’s extensive A$4.3 trillion (US$2.8 trillion) superannuation sector, according to official figures published recently by the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority (APRA).
Given this significant scale, SMSFs represent a substantial portion of the total wealth held by Australian households.
However, in contrast to the overall A$1 trillion managed within the Australian pension system, the presence of cryptocurrency within SMSFs is still relatively modest. Data from the Australian Tax Office’s latest statistical report supports this observation.
Within SMSFs, the largest asset category remains investments in publicly traded stocks, accounting for A$296 billion (US$193.1 billion). This is followed by cash and bank deposits at A$171 billion (US$111.6 billion), real estate holdings valued at A$105 billion (US$68.5 billion), and investments in unlisted trusts totaling A$133 billion (US$86.7 billion).
The value of cryptocurrency held within SMSFs experienced a significant jump from A$1.7 billion (US$1.1 billion) in March 2024 to A$3.1 billion (US$2 billion) by June of the same year. Since then, it has stabilized, maintaining a value of around A$3 billion (US$1.9 billion).
Despite this increase, cryptocurrency comprises less than 0.3% of the overall assets managed by SMSFs, estimated to exceed A$1 trillion (US$652.5 billion). This constitutes an even smaller proportion of Australia’s total pension system, which is valued at A$4.3 trillion (US$2.8 trillion).
According to Jeremy Kinstlinger, co-founder of Argamon Markets, a Sydney-based provider of liquidity and execution services, this limited allocation reflects the fundamentally “cautious by design” nature of SMSFs. He shared this insight with Decrypt.
Kinstlinger stated that “Until cryptocurrency is perceived as a mainstream and well-regulated asset class, it is likely to remain a minor component within retirement portfolios.”
Addressing the observed slowdown, Kinstlinger explained that SMSFs responded to the record highs witnessed in the cryptocurrency market early in the previous year, but have since scaled back their exposure.
“During the initial part of 2024, the cryptocurrency market surged to unprecedented levels, and SMSFs mirrored this trend,” Kinstlinger elaborated. “However, following that peak, the majority of these funds reduced their positions and have not yet reinvested, thereby missing out on the market recovery that took place during the latter half of the year.”
This cautious approach taken by SMSFs contrasts with the broader growth observed in the Asia-Pacific region. According to a 2025 crypto adoption report released by Chainalysis, a blockchain analytics firm, cryptocurrency transaction volumes in the Asia-Pacific region reached $2.36 trillion (US$1.5 trillion) in the year leading up to June. This represents a 69% increase compared to the previous year’s growth of 27%.
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