OKX launches regulated SMSF-focused crypto platform for Australian retirees
Crypto exchange has launched a platform for self-managed superannuation funds in Australia, as it hopes to tap into the country’s A$4.3 trillion retirement savings pool.
Summary
- OKX launches AUSTRAC-registered SMSF crypto platform with compliance and reporting features.
- Australian SMSF crypto holdings have dropped in 2025 but remain 40% higher than 2023 levels.
Announcing the move via a Sep. 15 announcement, Kate Cooper, who currently serves as the CEO of OKX Australia, said the platform, which is registered under AUSTRAC, would offer trustees and service providers “tools to buy, manage and report on digital assets.”
“All too often, trustees are left to cobble solutions together through spreadsheets, generic portals, or, worse, offshore support that doesn’t understand how SMSFs actually work. It turns what should be a considered investment decision into a compliance headache and a support nightmare,” Cooper said.
OKX tackles this by providing customers with a purpose-built interface tailored specifically for SMSF needs. Key features of the new platform include integrated portfolio dashboards, institutional-grade custody, real-time transaction tracking, and automated end-of-year reports for compliance and audit requirements.
According to Cooper, the platform offers a simple onboarding process, and accounts can be set up in minutes. OKX has also established local support teams available via phone, email, or live chat to guide users through the process.
“With OKX, SMSF trustees can access infrastructure that supports compliance, transparency, and local help. Our aim is to make engaging with digital assets through an SMSF more straightforward,” she added.
Reports that OKX, along with its U.S.-based competitor Coinbase, was looking to enter Australia’s retirement market first surfaced earlier this month.
At the time, both companies told Bloomberg that demand for SMSF-focused crypto platforms was expected to be strong, particularly among younger Australians who are increasingly choosing to take retirement planning into their own hands.
According to Coinbase, over 500 investors had already joined the waitlist for its upcoming SMSF offering, which is yet to be announced.
Although SMSFs represent only a portion of Australia’s pension ecosystem, they collectively manage around a quarter of the A$4.3 trillion retirement pool.
As previously reported by crypto.news, over the past year, Australians had trimmed a small portion of their SMSF crypto exposure, which was marked by a drop in total holdings from A$3.119 billion in 2024 to A$3.018 billion in mid-2025.
Australian regulators have issued repeated warnings since as early as 2019 that superannuation is meant to provide income in retirement, not serve as a speculative bet. Last year, the country’s securities regulator, ASIC, took action against blockchain mining firms that reportedly encouraged transferring funds from regulated superannuation funds to SMSFs for conversion into cryptocurrency.
However, that hasn’t stopped crypto enthusiasts. Zooming out, total SMSF crypto holdings were up 40% when compared to numbers reported back in 2023.
