Delaware Life Adds Bitcoin Exposure to Retirement Annuities

Delaware Life Insurance Company is adding Bitcoin exposure to some of its retirement annuities through a new index that uses BlackRock’s iShares Bitcoin Trust ETF.

According to a press release, the index blends US equities with a small allocation to the Bitcoin ETF and applies volatility controls intended to keep overall index volatility near 12%, Delaware Life said, though policyholders will not hold Bitcoin directly (and any Bitcoin exposure is delivered through the ETF inside the index).

Delaware Life said the index will be offered on three of its fixed indexed annuity products. Fixed indexed annuities typically guarantee principal under contract terms and credit interest based on the performance of a referenced index rather than direct ownership of the underlying assets. 

We’re continuously and thoughtfully innovating to meet the needs of financial professionals and their clients. Our fixed index annuities deliver what today’s investors want and need: opportunity for growth with protection.

Colin Lake, President and CEO of Delaware Life Marketing.

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A Regulated Bitcoin Index 

Using a Bitcoin ETF inside a volatility-managed index is a common approach among institutions that want to offer crypto-linked returns without exposing retirement savers to full Bitcoin price swings or the operational issues of direct custody. The structure also keeps the exposure within a regulated wrapper and the insurer controls how the index is used to calculate credited interest.

The offering fits a rising trend in retirement markets using Bitcoin exposure in small, constrained allocations inside traditional vehicles rather than as a core holding. For instance, in the US, some 401(k) platforms have tested optional Bitcoin allocations with strict limits and enhanced risk disclosures. 

In Australia, direct crypto exposure in retirement is most commonly seen through SMSFs (self-managed super funds), where trustees can buy Bitcoin, Ether, or crypto ETFs within the superannuation system, subject to compliance and custody arrangements. 

That market structure differs from US annuity products, but the same theme holds. Most retirement-linked crypto exposure is structured to fit existing rules and risk controls.

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