- Coinbase and OKX are launching specialized services for Australian retirement funds.
- These services make it easier for individuals to invest in crypto in their superannuation accounts.
- President Trump signed an executive order in August 2025 that directs US regulators to allow more crypto investments in 401(k) plans.
Coinbase and OKX are launching specialized services for Australia’s self-managed superannuation funds (SMSFs). The shift is a big push by major cryptocurrency trading platforms into retirement investing.
The SMSF industry in Australia manages around A$1.7 billion (US$1.1 billion) in digital assets as of March 2025. This number is seven times higher than in 2021. SMSFs constitute approximately 25% of the total retirement savings pool in Australia and, therefore, are a key market for crypto adoption.
Coinbase claims it has more than 500 investors backlogged to its SMSF option. The majority of them will spend up to A$100,000 on cryptocurrency investments. In June of 2024, OKX launched its competitor service and said it was in higher demand than it had imagined.
The exchanges provide complete packages that address the barriers to investing in crypto using SMSFs. Such services will involve referrals to accredited law firms and accountants. They also offer combined custody and record keeping systems that meet the Australian audit standards.
In the past, investors in Australia needed to put up their own structures and perform custody arrangements independently. The new services eliminate these complexities and lower the administrative tax on retail investors.
US Policy Shifts Open Door for Retirement Crypto Investing
The US has been having major policy reforms on cryptocurrency as a retirement plan. Fidelity Investments pioneered this space with its Bitcoin 401(k) option in April 2022. The product has offered participants the option to invest up to 20% of their retirement savings in Bitcoin.
The Department of Labor was originally not in favor of the large-scale use of cryptocurrencies in retirement plans. Officials warned plan fiduciaries to exercise “extreme care” when considering cryptocurrency exposure. This is a prudent position that lasted until May 2025.
In May 2025, the Labor Department officially withdrew its warning on crypto investments. The policy redesign gave plan sponsors and employers back their authority in the decision-making process.
President Donald Trump hastened these changes via an executive order on August 7, 2025. The order, called “Democratizing Access to Alternative Assets for 401(k) Investors,” asked the Labor Department to examine the current regulations on retirement plans.
The Labor Secretary, Lori Chavez-DeRemer, believed in the aims of the executive order. She said the federal government had no right to make retirement investment choices on behalf of American workers.
Critics Raise Concerns About Potential Risks
Some policy analysts have been hesitant regarding the idea of increasing crypto access in retirement accounts. Chris Noble of the Private Equity Stakeholder Project cautioned that the reforms may favour financial institutions over individual savers.
Critics argue that alternative asset investments put millions of Americans at risk of losing retirement security. Critics point to the volatile nature of the cryptocurrency market and the conflict of interest.
As we discussed earlier, the Trump family’s WLFI token involves speculation surrounding a controversial transaction structure of $750 million that places Trump-supported entities on either side of the deal.
