{"id":18605,"date":"2026-03-24T08:25:40","date_gmt":"2026-03-24T08:25:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cryptoted.net\/index.php\/2026\/03\/24\/australias-hostplus-weighs-crypto-access-for-members\/"},"modified":"2026-03-24T08:25:40","modified_gmt":"2026-03-24T08:25:40","slug":"australias-hostplus-weighs-crypto-access-for-members","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cryptoted.net\/index.php\/2026\/03\/24\/australias-hostplus-weighs-crypto-access-for-members\/","title":{"rendered":"Australia\u2019s Hostplus weighs crypto access for members"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <br \/>\n<br \/><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/crypto.news\/app\/uploads\/2024\/04\/crypto-news-Australia-BTC-ETF-option03.webp\" \/><\/p>\n<div>\n<p>Hostplus is reviewing whether to add crypto exposure to its investment menu after member interest in digital assets continued to grow.\u00a0<\/p>\n<div id=\"cn-block-summary-block_884fbbf35735832bfe009df1730c2de4\" class=\"cn-block-summary\">\n<p>\n        <span class=\"tabs__item is-selected\">Summary<\/span>\n    <\/p>\n<div class=\"cn-block-summary__content\">\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Hostplus is studying crypto access after members asked for digital assets in retirement portfolios.<\/li>\n<li>Any crypto option would likely launch through Choiceplus, pending approval and consumer protection checks.<\/li>\n<li>Growing SMSF crypto activity shows rising interest in digital assets among Australian retirement savers.<\/li>\n<\/ul><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><!-- .cn-block-summary --><\/p>\n<p>A Bloomberg report <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bloomberg.com\/news\/articles\/2026-03-23\/australian-pension-fund-mulls-offering-crypto-in-rare-move\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">said<\/a> the fund is considering a model that would give access through its Choiceplus option, though the plan still needs regulatory approval and further design work.<\/p>\n<p>Hostplus is one of Australia\u2019s largest super funds by member count. It has about 2.2 million members, and it ranks among the country\u2019s biggest retirement funds by assets under management, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.canstar.com.au\/superannuation\/largest-super-funds\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">according<\/a> to Canstar.<\/p>\n<p>    <!-- .cn-block-related-link --><\/p>\n<p>Its chief investment officer, Sam Sicilia, said member requests helped keep the issue on the table. He said,\u00a0<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>\u201dThere\u2019s certainly a demand from some of our members who write in and say, \u2018Why can\u2019t I have access to cryptocurrency?\u2019\u201d according to Bloomberg.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Choiceplus could be the path for a launch<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>The report said any crypto access would likely sit inside Hostplus\u2019 Choiceplus option. That part of the fund allows members to manage parts of their retirement savings more directly than standard investment options.<\/p>\n<p>Sicilia said the offer could arrive as soon as the next financial year if the structure is approved. He also said, \u201d<em>We\u2019d love to get regulatory tick-off, even if it means waiting another six months,<\/em>\u201d showing the fund is willing to wait for formal clearance.<\/p>\n<p>In addition, the proposal is still at an early stage. It would need regulatory approval before any launch, and the fund also needs to address consumer protection issues tied to crypto access in retirement products.<\/p>\n<p>Australia\u2019s superannuation market remains large and tightly watched by regulators. APRA said it supervises financial institutions with about A$10.1 trillion in assets, while industry reporting has placed total superannuation assets near A$4.5 trillion by late 2025.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Broader crypto interest is growing in retirement markets<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>Large super funds have moved slowly on direct crypto access, but some parts of the market have already taken steps. AMP introduced Bitcoin futures exposure in May 2024 as part of its investment approach, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.amp.com.au\/resources\/insights-hub\/is-your-super-invested-in-bitcoin?utm_source=chatgpt.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">according<\/a> to the report.<\/p>\n<p>Self-managed super funds remain a major route for Australians who <a href=\"https:\/\/crypto.news\/australians-trim-crypto-allocations-in-smsf-retirement-funds-by-4\/\" target=\"_blank\">want crypto in retirement<\/a> portfolios. BTC Markets said SMSF registrations on its platform rose 69% year over year in the 2024\u20132025 financial year, pointing to <a href=\"https:\/\/crypto.news\/okx-launches-regulated-smsf-focused-crypto-platform-for-australian-retirees\/\" target=\"_blank\">continued interest<\/a> from retirement-focused investors.<\/p>\n<p>    <!-- .cn-block-related-link --><\/p><\/div>\n<p><br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/crypto.news\/australias-hostplus-weighs-crypto-access-for-members\/\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Hostplus is reviewing whether to add crypto exposure to its investment menu after member interest in digital assets continued to grow.\u00a0 Summary Hostplus is studying crypto access after members asked for digital assets in retirement portfolios. Any crypto option would likely launch through Choiceplus, pending approval and consumer protection checks. Growing SMSF crypto activity shows [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":18606,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"tdm_status":"","tdm_grid_status":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[23],"tags":[],"kronos_expire_date":[],"class_list":["post-18605","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-crypto"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cryptoted.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18605","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cryptoted.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cryptoted.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cryptoted.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cryptoted.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=18605"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/cryptoted.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18605\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cryptoted.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/18606"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cryptoted.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=18605"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cryptoted.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=18605"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cryptoted.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=18605"},{"taxonomy":"kronos_expire_date","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cryptoted.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/kronos_expire_date?post=18605"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}