Key Takeaways
- • AFP Protección, Colombia's second-largest private pension and severance fund manager with roughly 220 trillion Colombian pesos (about $55 billion) in assets, is preparing to launch an investment fund with Bitcoin exposure.
- • Access will be restricted to qualified clients who pass a personalized advisory process assessing risk profile, according to Protección president Juan David Correa speaking to Valora Analitik.
- • Protección becomes the second major Colombian pension administrator to offer Bitcoin exposure, following Skandia, which began offering it in one of its portfolios in September 2025.
- • Protección states the product will not alter core pension allocations, which remain in fixed income, equities and other traditional assets.
- • The launch comes as Colombia's tax authority DIAN introduced mandatory crypto reporting rules aligned with the OECD's CARF framework.
Summary
AFP Protección, Colombia's second-largest private pension and severance fund manager, is preparing to launch an investment fund with exposure to Bitcoin. Juan David Correa, president of Protección SA, confirmed the initiative in an interview with local outlet Valora Analitik. According to Correa, the product will be limited in access and offered only through a personalized advisory process designed to assess each investor's risk profile, with only clients meeting specific criteria able to allocate a portion of their portfolios to Bitcoin (BTC). Correa said that "the most important element is diversification," adding that those who can participate will be able to place a percentage of their portfolio in this type of asset if they wish.
The move follows Skandia Administradora de Fondos de Pensiones y Cesantías, which began offering Bitcoin exposure in one of its portfolios in September of last year. With this launch, Protección becomes the second major pension fund administrator in Colombia to enter the digital asset space. Founded in 1991, AFP Protección manages more than 220 trillion Colombian pesos (approximately $55 billion) for over 8.5 million clients across mandatory and voluntary pension plans and severance accounts.
Protección has stated that the Bitcoin-linked fund does not represent a shift in how the bulk of Colombian pension savings are managed. Fixed income, equities and other traditional assets remain the core of pension portfolios, with the new product positioned as an additional option for qualified investors seeking diversification. For context, the broader mandatory pension fund market in Colombia reached 527.3 trillion pesos as of November 2025, with nearly half of those assets invested abroad.
The launch coincides with regulatory developments in the country's crypto sector. Earlier this month, Colombia's tax authority, DIAN, introduced a mandatory reporting framework requiring crypto service providers, including exchanges, custodians and intermediaries, to collect and submit user and transaction data. The resolution aligns Colombia with the OECD's Crypto-Asset Reporting Framework (CARF), enabling automatic exchange of crypto-related tax information with foreign authorities. Under the regime, providers must report identifying details and transaction data for reportable users, comply with due diligence and valuation standards, and face penalties for non-compliance.
The move follows Skandia Administradora de Fondos de Pensiones y Cesantías, which began offering Bitcoin exposure in one of its portfolios in September of last year. With this launch, Protección becomes the second major pension fund administrator in Colombia to enter the digital asset space. Founded in 1991, AFP Protección manages more than 220 trillion Colombian pesos (approximately $55 billion) for over 8.5 million clients across mandatory and voluntary pension plans and severance accounts.
Protección has stated that the Bitcoin-linked fund does not represent a shift in how the bulk of Colombian pension savings are managed. Fixed income, equities and other traditional assets remain the core of pension portfolios, with the new product positioned as an additional option for qualified investors seeking diversification. For context, the broader mandatory pension fund market in Colombia reached 527.3 trillion pesos as of November 2025, with nearly half of those assets invested abroad.
The launch coincides with regulatory developments in the country's crypto sector. Earlier this month, Colombia's tax authority, DIAN, introduced a mandatory reporting framework requiring crypto service providers, including exchanges, custodians and intermediaries, to collect and submit user and transaction data. The resolution aligns Colombia with the OECD's Crypto-Asset Reporting Framework (CARF), enabling automatic exchange of crypto-related tax information with foreign authorities. Under the regime, providers must report identifying details and transaction data for reportable users, comply with due diligence and valuation standards, and face penalties for non-compliance.
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