SMSF trustees should not confine their portfolio allocations in the digital asset sector to cryptocurrency alone as it will not allow them to take advantage of the full range of investment opportunities the space is likely to offer, a specialist service provider has said.
“If you are considering investing in this space, I would definitely say educate yourself of the broader opportunity available. Actually what’s really interesting in this sector is the underlying technology that underpins cryptocurrencies and the transformation we’re seeing in the broader financial services system is the result of that blockchain technology,” OKX Australia chief executive Kate Cooper told delegates at the recent SMSF Trustee Empowerment Day 2025 co-hosted by smstrusteenews and the SMSF Association.
Cooper indicated the adoption of digital asset-related technology is well underway as she has been able to observe during her time in the financial services sector.
“In my time at nab I was leading what was called the tokenisation project, which was all about taking the balance sheet of the bank and turning it into tokenised digital assets that will then be traded 24 hours a day, seven days a week for 365 days a year,” she indicated.
“We’re seeing this huge shift in the financial system as a result of that and at nab we anticipated 30 per cent of the balance sheet would be tokenised by 2030.”
According to Cooper, the adoption of this type of technology can now be seen across the broader financial sector and is something investors should continue to keep abreast of.
“There is one project in particular that you can search up which is called Project Acacia and this is being led by the Reserve Bank of Australia, so right at the heart of our financial system,” she said.
“One of the elements of that project is the tokenisation of government bonds and that will potentially give you access to government bonds in a way you never have had before.
“So that’s something to explore.”