Coinbase and OKX Roll Out Crypto Services for Australian Retirement Funds

Two of the world’s leading cryptocurrency exchanges are opening the door for more streamlined access to digital assets in retirement portfolios in ￰0￱ and OKX have launched dedicated services for self-managed superannuation funds (SMSFs) in the ￰1￱ Australians have technically been able to hold digital assets in SMSFs for several years, the process often required investors to establish their own structures and manage custody ￰2￱ and OKX are now addressing those hurdles by offering services that combine custody solutions with referrals to accountants and law firms, along with integrated record-keeping designed to meet strict audit ￰3￱ Appetite for Crypto in SMSFs The Australian Tax Office reported that SMSFs represent around a quarter of the nation’s retirement savings, with approximately A$1.7 billion (US$1.1 billion) already invested in cryptocurrencies as of March ￰4￱ figure has grown sevenfold since 2021, making SMSFs the first segment of the system to show meaningful exposure to digital ￰5￱ said more than 500 investors have already joined the waiting list for its SMSF product, with many planning to allocate up to A$100,000 each to cryptocurrencies.

OKX, which launched a similar offering in June, noted that demand has exceeded expectations, signaling a strong appetite among Australians to diversify retirement holdings with digital ￰6￱ observers suggest that the move could help normalize crypto within mainstream financial planning, particularly in a country where SMSFs play a significant role in retirement ￰7￱ lowering technical barriers, the exchanges are positioning themselves to capture a share of one of the world’s largest retirement systems on a per-capita ￰8￱ Policy Shifts on Retirement Crypto Australia’s expansion into crypto-backed retirement accounts comes as other major economies debate similar ￰9￱ the United States, Fidelity Investments introduced a Bitcoin 401(k) option in 2022, allowing participants to allocate up to 20% of their retirement savings to Bitcoin if their employers opted ￰10￱ product quickly drew scrutiny from the Department of Labor, which at the time urged fiduciaries to show “extreme care” when considering crypto ￰11￱ stance shifted in May 2025, when the Department formally rescinded its cautionary guidance, giving more discretion to plan ￰12￱ momentum grew further on August 7, when the ￰13￱ Donald Trump signed an executive order titled “Democratizing Access to Alternative Assets for 401(k) Investors.” With Australia and the ￰14￱ decisive steps, the integration of digital assets into retirement systems may be entering a new phase—one that could reshape how individuals around the world plan for long-term savings.