Australian Crypto Investors Got Advice From YouTube Videos: Regulator

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Crypto ownership in Australia warrants consumer protection: Regulator

Nearly half of Australian retail investors owned cryptocurrency in late 2021 and more got their information from YouTube videos than from financial advisers, the securities watchdog said on Thursday, calling the data a "strong case for regulation".

The Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) survey of 1,053 retail investors, conducted last November, found 44 per cent reported holding cryptocurrency, making it the second most popular investment after Australian shares.

A quarter of the investors surveyed who held cryptocurrency said it was their only investment.

The data will add to pressure on Australia's new Labor government to emphasise consumer protection as it takes over a years-long study, started under the previous conservative government, on whether and how to regulate the digital assets.

It also legitimises widely circulated statistics about high rates of Australian cryptocurrency ownership which last year were dismissed as "implausible" by a top central bank official.

The survey also showed 41 per cent of respondents went to a social media outlet for investment information, with 20 per cent naming Alphabet Inc's Youtube and 11 per cent naming Meta Platforms' Facebook.

Just 13 per cent gained their information from a financial adviser or broker, according to the survey.

"We are concerned about the number of people surveyed who reported investing in unregulated, volatile crypto-asset products," ASIC Chair Joe Longo said in a statement.

"There are limited protections for crypto-asset investments given they have become increasingly mainstream and are heavily advertised and promoted. There is a strong case for regulation of crypto-assets to