Australia News

Australia passes a law requiring crypto exchanges and custodians to obtain financial services licenses as the country moves to regulate digital asset platforms.

An Australian court ordered Binance Australia Derivatives to pay $6.9 million after misclassifying retail clients and exposing them to high-risk crypto products.

Tokenized finance and related infrastructure upgrades could be “revolutionary,” according to industry advocates cited by the Reserve Bank of Australia.

Hostplus is the third-largest super fund in Australia by members, with 2.2 million, and the fifth-largest by assets under management, with over $96 billion in assets.

Online shopping was the leading real-world use case for crypto among Australians, followed by paying for services such as freelancing and video game purchases.

Australia is moving closer to a new licensing regime that would bring crypto exchanges and tokenization platforms into the Australian Financial Services Licence regime.

Australia’s securities regulator said two-thirds of Gen Z are using social media to make decisions about their financial future, leading to “riskier” financial decisions. 

New regulatory frameworks weren’t needed when financial infrastructure shifted from paper to electronic records, so it isn't needed for blockchain either, argues ASIC’s Rhys Bollen.

Ripple APAC managing director Fiona Murray said there was sufficient institutional interest in Australia to warrant the costs of acquiring an Australian Financial Services License.

The roughly $26 billion in tokenized assets onchain today “is really just the proof of concept,” said BTC Markets CEO Lucas Dobbins.

A pilot involving the central bank and major financial institutions tested whether distributed ledger infrastructure could streamline bond issuance, trading and settlement.

Operating within Australia’s AML/CTF regulatory framework administered by AUSTRAC, this new platform targets professional traders seeking deep liquidity

Self-managed super funds are becoming a vehicle for Australians to invest in digital assets as traders search for ways to diversify their holdings.

Gemini, a US-based cryptocurrency exchange founded in 2015, will focus on growth in the United States due to its deep capital markets.

Australia’s securities regulator has bundled digital assets with AI and payments in its 2026 outlook, warning that companies exploiting licensing gray areas will be a top priority this year.