The recent growth in newly established SMSFs has been driven in part by investors seeking access to digital assets, with the number of funds holding them growing at a significant rate over the past five years, according to new research released by OKX Australia.
The research, contained in the “Voting with Their Super: Digital assets, SMSFs and the structural transformation of Australian retirement savings” report released today, noted digital assets now account for $3.2 billion in SMSF holdings, up from $240 million four years ago.
The report was based on a survey of 808 investors, including SMSF trustees with and without cryptocurrency, and cryptocurrency investors without SMSFs, was carried out by CoreData Research between November 2025 and January 2026, also found digital assets were the fastest-growing asset class within SMSFs with a compound annual growth rate of 44 per cent or 333 per cent over the past five years.
OKX Australia chief executive Kate Cooper noted the figures suggest digital assets were a key driver in the more than 33,000 net new funds established in 2024/25.
“Australians are voting with their super. They’re not waiting for managed funds to catch up, with more Australians establishing SMSFs to access asset classes like digital assets,” Cooper said.
“The data shows this is a structural shift. SMSF growth reached its highest level on record in 2024/25, under-45s are its fastest-growing cohort and digital assets are an important factor.”
Further she pointed to findings in the report that show among SMSFs holding digital assets, 47 per cent have allocated more than half of their fund’s monies to this asset class, 28 per cent have allocated more than 90 per cent and the median allocation of $81,000 is greater than the median allocation to overseas shares and unlisted equities.
In addition 46 per cent of trustees with cryptocurrency in their SMSF stated the ability to invest in digital assets was a key driver in establishing their fund.
Cooper indicated the interest in digital assets in SMSFs was growing faster than the professional advice infrastructure required to support it, with nearly half of trustees in the report stating they had difficulty meeting the ATO’s compliance requirements.
The report found, however, advised trustees had a higher level of confidence in their digital asset investments and higher median returns compared to unadvised trustees.
“The research suggests that advice could make a real difference to outcomes for trustees holding digital assets, but fewer than one in 10 advisers can formally address this asset class with their clients,” Cooper explained.
“That’s a structural gap the industry needs to close – both for the sake of trustees navigating a complex asset class and for the advice profession’s relevance to the fastest-growing segment of the SMSF market.”
Jason Spits
SENIOR JOURNALIST
Jason is a senior journalist with Benchmark Media and writes for the selfmanagedsuper website and magazine and smstrusteenews website. He has covered financial services since 1999 and has written about life insurance, superannuation, investment management and financial advice, in both a freelance and in-house capacity, and also did a brief stint as a media manager for an industry association. He has been the editor of trade titles Money Management and Financial Standard, and was most recently senior journalist with life insurance title Riskinfo.
Articles by Jason