OKX is making a push into Australia’s retirement market, despite crypto still being a notably small component.
On Sunday, the exchange announced the launch of a platform for self-managed superannuation funds, or SMSFs.
These private retirement vehicles allow individuals and small groups to manage their own savings directly, offering an alternative to the industry and retail funds that still dominate Australia’s pension system.
“Adoption is already far higher than many realise: SMSF crypto holdings have grown seven times since 2021, with $1.7 billion (US$1.1 billion) to $1.8 billion (US$1.2 billion) now invested,” Kate Cooper, CEO of OKX Australia, told Decrypt.
Cooper said OKX developed the platform in consultation with trustees and industry professionals, with features such as custody, multi-signature security, and proof-of-reserves reporting across 22 tokens.
“This isn’t about chasing a trend; it’s about providing serious infrastructure for SMSF trustees choosing to include digital assets in their portfolios. Australian SMSF trustees manage more money than most sovereign wealth funds. They deserve enterprise-level solutions,” she added.
OKX claims the new expansion is designed to give both individual and corporate trustees a straightforward path to adding crypto to retirement portfolios.
It adds infrastructure that specifically addresses SMSF requirements, including end-of-year reporting for audits, compliance checks, and AUSTRAC-registered exchange services.
Digital assets have become the fastest-growing slice of superannuation, with SMSF crypto allocations up 746% between March 2020 and March 2025, according to data from OKX’s statement. Overall, SMSFs manage nearly a third of Australia’s $4 trillion retirement pool.
Fresh data from the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority shows total SMSF assets grew only 5.5% in the year to June 2025, suggesting that while digital asset allocations within those funds have surged from a low base five years ago, the broader pool of SMSF savings is expanding at a much slower pace.
Earlier this month, an Australian Tax Office report showed self-managed super funds held about A$3 billion (US$1.9 billion) in crypto at midyear, which is less than 0.3% of their assets and an even smaller share of the country’s A$4.3 trillion pension system.
SMSFs remained heavily weighted toward shares, cash, and property, with crypto allocations steady after a brief spike in early 2024, per the report.
At the time, observers noted that investors “missed the rally” by stepping back after that peak, aligning with how SMSFs remain a cautious investment product even as Asia-Pacific crypto volumes surged roughly 69% over the same period.
Still, Cooper said OKX expects to see "thousands of SMSFs onboard in the next 12 to 24 months," with many of them switching from other exchanges.