Not so long ago, investing had a rhythm.
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investing → have → rhythm
Markets opened at 9.30am, closed at 4pm, and whatever happened in between was tomorrow’s problem.
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happened → open → between
So what’s changed the rhythm of investing?
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what → change → investing
A big part of the answer lies in cryptocurrency.
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part → lie → cryptocurrency
Since Bitcoin’s creation in 2009, crypto has traded around the clock.
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crypto → trade → clock
There is no opening bell, no after-hours pause, and access is available from anywhere at any hour.
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access → be → hour
At the same time, a younger generation of Australians has grown up expecting instant access to almost everything: messaging, streaming, shopping, banking.
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generation → grow → everything
It was only a matter of time before they expected the same from investing.
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they → expect → investing
This combination of always-open markets and digitally native investors has given rise to a new kind of participant: the always-on investor.
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combination → give → participant
On the CMC Invest platform, Bitcoin is currently the seventh most-traded instrument when ETFs are excluded, overtaking NVIDIA, CBA and TSLA (Tesla).
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ETFs → trade → NVIDIA
Once considered a fringe trend, crypto is now helping redefine the shape of Australian retail investing.
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crypto → consider → investing
CMC Invest data shows this shift is translating into real behaviour.
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shift → show → behaviour
The number of clients making at least one crypto trade climbed 87 per cent from 2024 to 2025, while opt-ins to access crypto increased 19 per cent year-on-year – a strong signal of growing adoption across the client base.
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ins → make → base
Younger Australians are broadening their approach to wealth creation, increasingly using a mix of shares, ETFs and cryptocurrency to invest on their own terms.
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Australians → broaden → terms
As participation rises - so does activity.
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activity → rise → ?
Overall crypto trade count on CMC Invest jumped 89 per cent year-on-year, driven largely by Bitcoin and Ethereum, which recorded increases in trade volumes of 104 per cent and 107 per cent respectively.
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which → jump → cent
A new baseline
Today’s always-on investor monitors markets throughout the day, across time zones, and across asset classes.
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investor → monitor → classes
They expect real-time data and the ability to move quickly.
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They → expect → data
When a major story breaks on a Saturday night, waiting until Monday morning feels increasingly out of step with modern investing habits.
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waiting → break → habits
Technology made this possible; crypto simply accelerated it.
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crypto → make → it
The share of weekend trades on CMC Invest rose 13 per cent year on year for Bitcoin and 16 per cent for Ethereum, reinforcing that investing behaviour is no longer confined to traditional market hours.
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behaviour → rise → hours
Younger Australians are also broadening their approach to wealth creation, increasingly using a mix of shares, ETFs and cryptocurrency to invest on their own terms.
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Australians → broaden → terms
With cost-of-living pressures persisting and home ownership moving further out of reach for many, investing is becoming a more accessible and flexible pathway to building financial security.
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investing → persist → security
No longer purely a retail story, some superannuation funds are beginning to explore digital asset exposure, and the Australian Securities and Investments Commission’s (ASIC) evolving regulatory framework means crypto has evolved beyond market curiosity, now part of live policy conversation.
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crypto → begin → conversation
This shift is most pronounced among younger, higher-earning, digitally confident Australians – precisely the cohort that will define retail investing for the next two decades.
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that → pronounce → decades
Research commissioned by CMC Invest from Investment Trends found that most crypto holders are active traders, not passive holders.
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holders → commission → Trends
That demand is being driven by millennials and accumulators, people who are actively building wealth and expect to stay close to their portfolio while doing it.
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who → drive → it
That demand is showing up clearly in platform behaviour.
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demand → show → behaviour
In 2026, 82 per cent of Bitcoin trades have been buys, and one in five CMC Invest clients are now asking for more crypto options.
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clients → ask → options
Far from niche, this is a clear signal from a meaningful share of investors who want greater access and flexibility.
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who → want → access
They are moving away from schedules built for a different era and towards investing on their own terms.
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They → move → terms
How the industry is responding
Market operators are starting to take notice.
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operators → respond → notice
Globally, extended-hours trading is gaining traction.
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trading → extend → traction
In Australia, the ASX has periodically debated whether trading hours should be expanded.
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hours → debate → Australia
One thing is clear: the evolving market is shaping up to be a fast-moving and challenging environment, offering both opportunity and risk across shares, ETFs, and cryptocurrencies.
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market → evolve → shares
The investors navigating it best are those who want to stay engaged by choosing platforms built for exactly that.
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who → navigate → that
The bottom line
Crypto has not only introduced a new asset class – it has helped create a new generation of investors who expect markets to move at the speed of the internet.
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markets → introduce → internet
Those same investors are now applying that expectation to everything else in their portfolio.
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investors → apply → portfolio
The traditional boundaries of the trading day are starting to look less like a rule and more like a relic.
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boundaries → trade → relic
For platforms, regulators, and investors alike, the question is no longer whether markets need to adapt to the always-on investor.
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markets → need → investor
…and 3 more, not listed.
The Aporia
