Australian Broker SelfWealth Taps BTC Markets To Offer Crypto in Country First

The 11-year-old fintech said it had become Australia’s first broker to offer cryptocurrency to its clients

article-image

The startup is based in Melbourne.

share
  • The platform has signed a deal with crypto exchange BTC Markets to offer crypto investing
  • It’s the first time in Australia’s history that a broker of its kind will offer crypto to its clients

Online Australian platform SelfWealth is expected to become the country’s first traditional stockbroker to offer cryptocurrencies to domestic clients.

According to a press release on Tuesday, the platform has signed a deal with one of the country’s longest-running crypto exchanges, BTC Markets, in a bid to open doors for SelfWealth clients to hold digital assets under one roof.

“Currently, moving between popular investment types usually requires access to multiple trading platforms and for investors to move money multiple times,” said SelfWealth CEO Cath Whitaker. “We wanted to make investing in cryptocurrency as seamless as possible.”

SelfWealth customers will be able to trade five cryptos, pending approval from financial watchdog AUSTRAC, though the specifics on which assets will be selected have not yet been disclosed.

“While the interface is going to be different, it’s still going through the exchange so no logistical or system difference,” BTC Markets CEO Caroline Bowler told Blockworks. “If you already have a SelfWealth account, you don’t need to set up a new BTC Markets account…that keeps all crypto, ASX, US and soon-to-be Singapore securities in one place.”

SelfWealth, an 11-year-old fintech, is Australia’s fourth-largest online brokerage platform with close to 120,000 active members and $8 billion in assets under management, according to the release.

The move extends upon SelfWealth’s seven-month search for a viable exchange partner which had scheduled to begin offering crypto to its customers by the end of last year. The broker said it decided to pursue crypto after it discovered more than 30% of its members were already trading in digital assets.

The island nation, which currently houses 800,000 crypto investors, is expected to introduce a new regulatory framework this year for payments that will focus on creating a licensing regime for digital assets.

Earlier this month, the country gifted a grant to tax accountant Kova Tax for the development of its crypto tax reporting platform, marking another first as Australia begins to quicken the pace in crypto adoption, regulation and education.


Get the news in your inbox. Explore Blockworks newsletters:

Tags

Decoding crypto and the markets. Daily, with Byron Gilliam.

Upcoming Events

Javits Center North | 445 11th Ave

Tues - Thurs, March 24 - 26, 2026

Blockworks’ Digital Asset Summit (DAS) will feature conversations between the builders, allocators, and legislators who will shape the trajectory of the digital asset ecosystem in the US and abroad.

recent research

Unlocked by Template.png

Research

The march toward an interoperable and onchain-by-default internet depends on reliable messaging and value transfer across heterogeneous domains. Crosschain protocols now process >$1.3T in combined annual transfer volume and secure tens of millions of user interactions, yet no single design dominates.

article-image

The goal, per Santiago Santos, is to make crypto a relatable piece of tech for people who may not even understand it

article-image

Stripe stablecoin unit aims to operate under a federal charter enabling regulated stablecoin issuance and custody services

by Blockworks /
article-image

Will TradFi make crypto better or create more problems than it solves?

article-image

Subtle decisions by risk curators saved Aave from significant turmoil

article-image

The new Rootstock Institutional unit aims to connect professional investors to Bitcoin-native yield and liquidity strategies anchored in BTC’s security layer

by Blockworks /
article-image

DOJ files record civil forfeiture against more than 127,000 BTC linked to scam activity

by Blockworks /