Banking Woes Rise as Record One-Third of Australians Invest in Digital Assets

As holding crypto rises in popularity, more people are being frustrated by banks’ crypto policies, according to a representative survey of 2,000 Australians by local exchange Independent Reserve (IR). 

The seventh annual Independent Reserve Cryptocurrency Index (IRCI) found that in 2026:

• The number of Aussies holding crypto rose to 33% (a new record), up from 31% in 2025 and 27.5% in 2024.
• 30% of investors said their bank had prevented them from buying crypto or delayed sending money to a crypto exchange, up from 19.3% in 2025.

Banks’ caution in enabling Aussies to spend their money on crypto seems to be impacting younger investors more — IR’s survey found 37% of respondents in the 25-34 years of age category had reported bank blocks, and 35% of those aged 18-24 had issues. 

Less than 10% of respondents aged above 55% said they had problems with their bank.

The 2025 IRCI showed that investors spending more than $10,000 per month on crypto were the most likely to trigger bank scrutiny (55.6%). In 2026, investors in the $1,000 to $10,000 monthly transactions range reported the highest level of bank interference (50%) — up from 32.6% in 2025. 

Investors moving less than $100 per month into exchanges continued to face the fewest banking issues.

IR said the survey results raised “ongoing questions about whether the 33% of Australian crypto investors are being treated fairly and consistently within Australia’s banking system.”

In addition to the need for crypto-friendly banks, the survey shows Aussies are keen for regulatory clarity:

• 30% of non-crypto investors said better industry regulation would make them more likely to invest in cryptocurrency.
• 51% of all respondents said the passage of the Digital Assets Framework bill would increase their confidence in using crypto exchanges.

Regulation is the missing link for crypto adoption in Australia. People are already interested, but they need confidence that crypto exchanges are reliable before committing, and clearer rules could unlock a lot of new participation.

Independent Reserve CEO Adrian Przelozny

Related: Australian Senate Panel Backs Bill to Bring Crypto Platforms Under Financial Services Rules

BTC and ETH Remain Top Investments, Average Spend Per Month Increases

The majority of people (62%) still invest less than $500 per month in crypto.

But the 2026 survey reveals that more Aussies are investing larger amounts per month into digital assets. There was a 45% increase in respondents who said they were investing between $500 – $10,000 per month on crypto (20% in 2025 vs 29% in 2026). 

Crypto is also becoming a larger proportion of investors’ portfolios. In 2026, 26% of respondents said digital assets make up 11%-20% of their total allocation, up from 20% in 2025. The number of respondents allocating over 20% of their portfolio to crypto also rose. 

Related: OKX Says Australia Could Unlock $24B Digital Finance Boom With Faster Crypto Rules

Time-in-market was found to be a key factor in whether investors report profits. Over 70% of those who’d been invested for more than 10 years reported profits.

The top coins Aussies are HODLing include Bitcoin (71%) and Ethereum (33%). Solana moved up in 2026 to become the third most popular coin for Aussies to invest in, overtaking Dogecoin and Ripple. Also popular were Tether and Cardano. 

Memecoins Pepe and Dogwifhat, which attracted notable levels of investment in 2025, were not specifically called out as investments in 2026. New entrants attracting Aussies’ attention included Tether Gold (XAUT) and Kinesis Silver (KAG).