Hostplus, Major Australian Pension Fund, Considers Adding Bitcoin and Crypto to Retirement Portfolios

TLDR

• Hostplus, the third-largest pension fund in Australia, is weighing the option of offering Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies to its 2.2 million members
• Crypto assets may be made available through its ChoicePlus self-directed investment option as soon as the next financial year
• The proposed rollout requires regulatory approval and the resolution of consumer protection concerns
• AMP became the first Australian super fund to gain crypto exposure, via Bitcoin futures, back in 2024
• SMSF registrations climbed 69% year-on-year in 2024–2025, as members sought alternative channels to access crypto investments

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(SeaPRwire) –   Hostplus, among Australia’s largest pension funds, is assessing the feasibility of offering Bitcoin and other digital assets to its members. The fund oversees more than $105 billion in total assets and counts nearly 2.2 million people as members.

Hostplus, one of Australia’s largest pension funds, is considering adding cryptocurrencies as an investment option for its members, an asset class that has so far been largely avoided by its industry peers https://t.co/LNvtsja5TE

— Bloomberg (@business) March 23, 2026

Chief Investment Officer Sam Sicilia confirmed the fund is currently in the design phase of integrating crypto into its ChoicePlus option. ChoicePlus allows members to self-manage a portion of their retirement savings.

Sicilia told Bloomberg that demand from members is driving the ongoing review. “There is clear demand from a number of our members who reach out to ask, ‘Why am I not able to access cryptocurrency investments?’” he stated.

The ChoicePlus option currently makes up just 1% of Hostplus’s total assets under management. Any crypto offering will be housed exclusively within this self-directed segment of the fund.

Sicilia noted that the crypto sector has matured significantly since Hostplus first evaluated it roughly a decade ago. The fund is now considering not only Bitcoin, but also a wider range of digital assets.

These assets could include tokenized exposure tied to sectors such as music rights, per Bloomberg reports.

Digital asset offerings could launch as early as the next financial year, Sicilia said. However, regulatory approval is required before any rollout can go live.

Consumer protection frameworks and product structure are still being finalized. “We are eager to get regulatory sign-off, even if it means waiting an extra six months,” Sicilia told Bloomberg.

Why Members Are Seeking Crypto Access Outside Mainstream Super Funds

Since large super funds have not made crypto investments available, many Australians have opted for Self-Managed Super Funds. SMSFs are established and run by individual people rather than large financial institutions.

SMSF registrations surged 69% year-on-year during the 2024–2025 financial year, according to data from Australian crypto exchange BTC Markets.

OKX Australia CEO Kate Cooper noted in February that a growing number of SMSFs are being set up specifically to invest in digital assets, as members cannot access crypto through large, traditional super funds.

AMP was the first major super fund to enter the digital asset space. In May 2024, it secured indirect exposure to Bitcoin through futures contracts.

The Wider Landscape of Crypto in Retirement Savings

Australia’s total superannuation assets were valued at roughly $4.5 trillion Australian dollars as of the end of September 2025.

In the United States, President Donald Trump signed an executive order last August that permits 401(k) retirement plans to include crypto assets. Indiana has also passed legislation allowing crypto investments in select state-run retirement plans.

The average age of Hostplus’s members falls in the mid-to-late 30s, which may partially explain the strong appetite for digital asset exposure among the fund’s member base.