Australian SMSF Investors Push Crypto Buy/Sell Ratio to Record High

Self-managed super funds on Swyftx lifted their crypto buy/sell ratio to a record 3.36 to 1 in the September quarter, according to the Australian exchange’s Q3 2026 industry report.

That was up from 3.2 to 1 in the June quarter, when Swyftx’s Q2 report flagged a record for SMSF buying. The exchange said the figures suggest its SMSF customers again leaned into accumulation over the three months.

Those customers’ trading volume rose 16% quarter-on-quarter and outperformed broader retail activity on the platform, Swyftx said. It said the pattern mirrored institutional ETF inflows that accelerated in August and September, while volumes on centralised exchanges stayed subdued.

Bitcoin, XRP and Ether remained the most-purchased assets among SMSF customers, in that order. That ranking has not changed for six months.

Read more: ZachXBT Says He Infiltrated Chinese Laundering Network Tied to Lazarus

Platform Volume Holds Steady

Across the whole exchange, quarterly trading volume slipped 0.7%. Swyftx described the quarter as two halves. July was its lowest-volume month since September 2023, and monthly volume then rose 100% by September.

September’s buy/sell ratio across the platform was 1.48 to 1, making it Swyftx’s second-strongest month for buying against selling since 2021. Bitcoin’s share of the platform’s trading volume fell to 29.8%, from 33.8% in the June quarter.

Swyftx also reported first data from its leverage trading platform. Commodities drew 47.5% of the positions opened on it, ahead of crypto at 38.9%.

Millennials remained the most active generation, lifting their share of volume to 42.7%. Volume from 18- to 25-year-olds rose 24% even as their unique orders fell 5%. Boomers posted the steepest declines in both volume and orders.

Bitcoin returned about 25% in August, its best month since November 2024, according to CoinGlass figures cited in the report. In the same report, Swyftx lead market analyst Pav Hundal put the exchange’s Crypto Euphoria Index at 93, a level last seen at the 2025 cycle highs. He expects Bitcoin to finish the year around US$80,000 (AU$115,200).

Read more: Evernorth SPAC Nearly Quadruples Ahead of XRP Treasury Merger

Australia had 672,805 SMSFs at the end of March, according to ATO quarterly statistics published on 16 June. Crypto holdings in those funds slipped 4% in the year to June 2025, earlier ATO data showed.

The ATO requires each fund’s auditor to confirm that a crypto investment is allowed under the trust deed and fits the fund’s investment strategy. The asset must sit in a wallet in the fund’s name, separate from crypto the trustees or members hold personally. It must also be reported at market value.