Part 1 of 3: Older Australians and women are leading Australia’s next crypto capital wave

The forces driving Australia’s crypto market today aren’t the ones most people assume. Older Australians and women are now leading the next phase. Their behaviour in the past year has been anything but cautious. Digital assets are being used and adopted much differently than in the past. Our latest BTC Markets Investor Study Report 2025 shows this pattern with unusual clarity.

Older Australians lead the next capital wave

Australians aged 60 and over recorded the most dramatic change of any demographic. Initial deposits surged 723% year-on-year, and daily trading activity rose 93%. The scale alone is notable, but the behaviour behind it is more telling.

These investors are entering with defined intentions. They tend to make larger allocations upfront and trade infrequently, focusing on position-building rather than reacting to day-to-day volatility. It mirrors the way experienced investors incorporate new asset classes: slowly at first, then decisively once the research is done.

Women lead with larger, deliberate investments

Women are showing a similar shift, though expressed differently. For the first time in five years, their average initial deposits were larger than those of men, rising 115% over the year. While men still execute more daily trades, women are entering with clearer conviction and a more measured cadence.

Despite trading far less often, women still achieved 35% portfolio growth, nearly matching the 38% recorded by men. The combination of larger starting capital and restrained trading is characteristic of investors who prioritise planning over impulse. As participation rises, this behavioural profile is helping anchor the market in a more strategic direction.

Purpose-driven investing gains momentum

What links these groups is intent. Their activity stands in contrast to the high-leverage, high-frequency trading that dominated earlier cycles. Instead, the market is seeing more deliberate allocation, steadier positioning, and a longer time horizon.

As these behaviours scale, they reshape market structure. Volatility becomes less about speculative excess and more about macro conditions. Capital flows become steadier. Crypto is evolving from a niche trading market into a mainstream investment class.

Older Australians are bringing scale. Women are bringing discipline. Together, they are helping shift crypto from a speculative trade toward a more allocation-driven market. For investors, the more relevant question is no longer who is participating, but how, if at all, digital assets should be considered within a diversified portfolio as the asset class continues to mature.

ENDS

In Part 2 of this series, we’ll look at how SMSFs, companies, and sole traders are adopting institutional-style strategies, and what that means for the future of digital assets in Australia.