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40% of Australians Intend to Buy Cryptocurrency in 2021

Savvy’s 2021 survey discovers attitudes of 1000 Australians towards cryptocurrency ownership.
  Written by 
Adrian Edlington
Adrian Edlington is PR & Communications Manager at Savvy. With a keen interest in personal finance, car loans, the mortgage industry, cost of living pressures, electric vehicles and renewable technology, Adrian's research includes conducting primary data surveys and analysis of up-to-the-minute secondary Australian data sources. His work on behalf of Savvy has been featured on ABC.net.au The Conversation, the Sydney Morning Herald, AFR, News.com.au, The Age, Herald Sun, Adelaide Now, SBS On The Money, 7News, Car Expert, Which Car, Drive.com.au, Auto Talk, CleanTechnica, The Latch, Newcastle Herald, The Examiner, Illawarra Mercury, Professional Planner, New Idea, Canberra Times, Bendigo Advertiser, The Courier, Evee.com.au, MSN, The Australian, Stockhead, Yahoo Lifestyle, Smart Company, Yahoo Finance, Money Management, Proactive Investors, Glam Adelaide, Your Life Choices, Investor Daily, Real Estate Business, Homely.com.au, Money Mag, Yahoo News, Elite Agent, The West, Crikey.com.au, Yahoo Sports, AIB.edu.au, Domain.com.au, Nine.com.au, Mortgage Business, The New Daily, MPAMag, and NestEgg.com.au. In his spare time, Adrian enjoys mountain biking and business podcasts.
Our authors
 
  Reviewed by 
Bill Tsouvalas

Reviewer

Bill Tsouvalas
Bill Tsouvalas is the managing director and a key company spokesperson at Savvy. As a personal finance expert, he often shares his insights on a range of topics, being featured on leading news outlets including News Corp publications such as the Daily Telegraph and Herald Sun, Fairfax Media publications such as the Australian Financial Review, the Seven Network and more. Bill has over 15 years of experience working in the finance industry and founded Savvy in 2010 with a vision to provide affordable and accessible finance options to all Australians. He has built Savvy from a small asset finance brokerage into a financial comparison website which now attracts close to 2 million Aussies per year and was included in the BRW’s Fast 100 in 2015 as one of the fastest-growing companies in the country. He’s passionate about helping Australians make financially savvy decisions and reviews content across the brand to ensure its accuracy. You can follow Bill on LinkedIn.
Our authors
   Commentary by 
Cameron Dart

Guest Contributor

Cameron Dart
As founder of Australian FinTech, Cameron has international experience in various fields of technology, investment and development covering areas such as fintech, banking, finance, property development, property finance, mining investment and technology startups.
Our authors

Published on June 16th, 2021

Last updated on April 12th, 2024



Fact checked

At Savvy, we are committed to providing accurate information. Our content undergoes a rigorous process of fact-checking before it is published. Learn more about our editorial policy.
Australians Likely to Buy Cryptocurrency in 2021

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In this article

Is Cryptocurrency – the currencies powered by complex calculations and decentralised ledgers known as blockchain technology – the money of the future? According to a new survey by Savvy, a third of Australians are betting that it is: and 40% are willing to convert their paper money into something digital during 2021.

  • 40% of Australians likely to buy Cryptocurrency in 2021
  • 17.3% of Australians currently own some form of Cryptocurrency
  • 79.8% of Australians agree that investing in Cryptocurrencies should be more heavily regulated
  • 9.7% of those surveyed believe Cryptocurrency will displace the current banking system

40% of Australians are likely to buy Cryptocurrency in 2021

While 59.5% of Australians are unlikely to invest in Cryptocurrency throughout 2021, the remainder of 40.5% respondents answered in the affirmative, stating that they were “Likely”, “Very Likely”, or “Extremely Likely” to buy digital currencies throughout the same period. 

17.3% of Australians currently own some form of Cryptocurrency

Surveying 1,000 Australians, 17.3% respondents said they already own or have owned some form of Cryptocurrency, with 36% intending to buy into Cryptocurrency in the future. Of those surveyed, 15.2% had invested up to $5,000, 2.5% had invested $5,000 – $10,000, while 1% had invested $10,000 – $20,000. If extrapolated to cover the Australian adult population, this could indicate over 500,000 Australians have invested at least $5,000-$10,000 in Cryptocurrency.

How well do Aussies understand Cryptocurrency like Bitcoin or Ethereum?

Fin Tech expert, Cameron Dart, says;

“As crypto becomes more mainstream and more secure, it's no surprise that more Australians are buying digital currencies. There also seems to be stabilisation in the crypto markets which also givers buyers and sellers more security and assurance. That's compared to years ago when most coins were unstable with wild prices swings up and down, and many coins reverting to zero.”

If Australians don’t have crypto yet, they’re at least thinking about it. According to the survey, 71% of Australians either understand or are interested in learning more about Cryptocurrency.

More men than women claimed exceptional or average understanding of Cryptocurrencies at 48% of men compared to 27% of women. Female respondents expressed a higher interest in learning about the technology: 37% compared to 31% for men.

Base 100% Male Female
I understand Cryptocurrencies very well.
5%
8%
3%
I understand how they work to some extent.
32%
40%
24%
I don’t understand how they work in practice but am interested in the technology.
34%
31%
37%
I have no knowledge of Cryptocurrencies at all.
29%
21%
36%

9.7% of those surveyed believe Cryptocurrency will displace the current banking system

A previous Savvy survey found that 47% of Australians prefer paying via digital wallet; and two-thirds of that group use it as their preferred payment method. Though at present we are exchanging Australian dollars through the wallet, it may only be a matter of time before we’ll have the option of paying in crypto. Only 9.7% of survey respondents said that it’s more likely than not that crypto will eventually displace the current fiat currency banking system, however.

79.8% of Australians agree that investing in Cryptocurrencies should be more heavily regulated

As for being a “wild west” currency, Australians would like to see more safeguards. 79.8% of all respondents agreed that cryptocurrencies should be more heavily regulated.

Either way, it’s an exciting time for finance and banking. “Cryptocurrency may very well be the currency of the future. It’s time for the wider finance sector to embrace it rather than treat it as a fad, or they’ll be left behind,” Savvy Managing Director Bill, Tsouvalas says.

Savvy Managing Director Bill Tsouvalas says the public profile of ‘Bitcoin millionaires’ and other successful crypto investors has added to its allure. “19.7% of respondents said they have already bought into crypto. Just under a third of that cohort said they bought into crypto to make money fast. 47% of the same group (358 respondents) said that they’d buy into crypto for the same reason in the future. Once upon a time, crypto was a mysterious ‘shiny new object’. 41% of investors said they did so ‘just for fun,’ for example.

“However, there is a high proportion that are invested long term as well as to diversify their investment portfolio – about half of respondents. So, getting in on Cryptocurrency is becoming less of a novelty and more of a sound investment strategy. Some people may even consider borrowing to invest, which is an option, though needs to be discussed with a registered financial advisor first.”

Similar numbers were seen in those (36%) looking to buy in the future, when asked their top three reasons: 47% responded to make money quickly; 38% as a long-term investment; 28% for portfolio diversification. Only 22% said they’d buy into crypto “for fun.”

Respondents were split on whether the crypto “bubble” would burst by 2022 (21%), whether Bitcoin would reach a new high by the end of the year (19%) or prices would remain stable throughout the year (20%).

If you are a crypto holder and are wondering what your tax obligations may be, read Savvy's crypto tax in Australia report

Savvy - 2021 Cryptocurrency Survey (n = 1000) 

Nationally representative survey of 1000 adult Australians, aged 18 and over. Conducted by Octopus Group, on behalf of Savvy.

Completion date: 26/05/2021

Gender breakdown: male n=500, female n=498, non-binary /prefer not to say n=2

Age groups:18-24 (n=120), 25-34 (n=191), 35-44 (n=172), 45-54 (n=162), 55-64 (n=149), 65+ (n=206)

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  Written by 
Adrian Edlington
Adrian Edlington is PR & Communications Manager at Savvy. With a keen interest in personal finance, car loans, the mortgage industry, cost of living pressures, electric vehicles and renewable technology, Adrian's research includes conducting primary data surveys and analysis of up-to-the-minute secondary Australian data sources. His work on behalf of Savvy has been featured on ABC.net.au The Conversation, the Sydney Morning Herald, AFR, News.com.au, The Age, Herald Sun, Adelaide Now, SBS On The Money, 7News, Car Expert, Which Car, Drive.com.au, Auto Talk, CleanTechnica, The Latch, Newcastle Herald, The Examiner, Illawarra Mercury, Professional Planner, New Idea, Canberra Times, Bendigo Advertiser, The Courier, Evee.com.au, MSN, The Australian, Stockhead, Yahoo Lifestyle, Smart Company, Yahoo Finance, Money Management, Proactive Investors, Glam Adelaide, Your Life Choices, Investor Daily, Real Estate Business, Homely.com.au, Money Mag, Yahoo News, Elite Agent, The West, Crikey.com.au, Yahoo Sports, AIB.edu.au, Domain.com.au, Nine.com.au, Mortgage Business, The New Daily, MPAMag, and NestEgg.com.au. In his spare time, Adrian enjoys mountain biking and business podcasts.
Our authors
 
  Reviewed by 
Bill Tsouvalas

Reviewer

Bill Tsouvalas
Bill Tsouvalas is the managing director and a key company spokesperson at Savvy. As a personal finance expert, he often shares his insights on a range of topics, being featured on leading news outlets including News Corp publications such as the Daily Telegraph and Herald Sun, Fairfax Media publications such as the Australian Financial Review, the Seven Network and more. Bill has over 15 years of experience working in the finance industry and founded Savvy in 2010 with a vision to provide affordable and accessible finance options to all Australians. He has built Savvy from a small asset finance brokerage into a financial comparison website which now attracts close to 2 million Aussies per year and was included in the BRW’s Fast 100 in 2015 as one of the fastest-growing companies in the country. He’s passionate about helping Australians make financially savvy decisions and reviews content across the brand to ensure its accuracy. You can follow Bill on LinkedIn.
Our authors
   Commentary by 
Cameron Dart

Guest Contributor

Cameron Dart
As founder of Australian FinTech, Cameron has international experience in various fields of technology, investment and development covering areas such as fintech, banking, finance, property development, property finance, mining investment and technology startups.
Our authors

Published on June 16th, 2021

Last updated on April 12th, 2024



Fact checked

At Savvy, we are committed to providing accurate information. Our content undergoes a rigorous process of fact-checking before it is published. Learn more about our editorial policy.

This guide provides general information and does not consider your individual needs, finances or objectives. We do not make any recommendation or suggestion about which product is best for you based on your specific situation and we do not compare all companies in the market, or all products offered by all companies. It’s always important to consider whether professional financial, legal or taxation advice is appropriate for you before choosing or purchasing a financial product.

The content on our website is produced by experts in the field of finance and reviewed as part of our editorial guidelines. We endeavour to keep all information across our site updated with accurate information.

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About Savvy

Savvy is one of Australia’s largest online financial brokers, focusing on personal and commercial financial products. Founded in 2010, the firm has seen rapid growth, a testament to their provision of market leading rates and reaching customers with the latest in media and technology. Savvy is a proud supporter of Kids Under Cover, a charity assisting homeless and at-risk youth to strengthen their bonds to community and education. Savvy was named one of BRW’s fastest growing companies in 2015.

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Australians Likely to Buy Cryptocurrency in 2021

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