The Financial Action Task Force ( FATF ) recently released its Targeted Report on Stablecoins and Unhosted Wallets , positioning stablecoin “freezing” in the secondary market as an emerging AML/CTF control. At the same time, Circle’s recent freeze of USDC across 16 operational wallets demonstrates how these controls operate in practice, and why unlimited freeze powers pose market and security risks as financial markets move on-chain and particularly for decentralised finance

For a decade or more, web3 founders structuring projects out of the Cayman Islands which had any US token holders have had to live with a particularly uncomfortable question: is my token a security under US based laws? For projects with a substantial US token holder base or development team, the answer could mean the difference between regulatory clarity and an enforcement action or Wells notice. That question has now received its clearest answer yet. On March 17, 2026, the S

Whether firms should be permitted to issue stablecoins that provide interest‑like returns has emerged as a key point of contention in Congress’s consideration of the Digital Asset Market Clarity Act of 2025 ( CLARITY Act ), the U.S. crypto market structure bill. In late February, U.S. stablecoin policy has moved back into focus following a series of White House‑brokered meetings between banks and crypto industry participants, alongside a further instance of direct public inte

AAVE is a large player in the crypto DeFi space, enabling lending, borrowing and swapping of crypto tokens, usually on Ethereum. It has become well known for a liquidity pool model and enabling flash loans (which enable a borrower to borrow and repay crypto within the same transaction). Users can access the Aave protocol either through direct smart contract interactions or through open source front ends, the most popular of which is operated by Aave Labs. This week, an as-y

On the anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the Australian Government introduced new sanctions targeting 180 individuals, entities and vessels linked to Russia including a number of cryptocurrency related businesses . For the first time, Australia is targeting cryptocurrency entities that enable cross-border payments to sustain Russia’s military operations. The announcement makes clear that businesses using cryptocurrency to circumvent sanctions are now potential enfo

The Australian Digital Finance Cooperative Research Centre (DFCRC) has released a 166-page report outlining the possible productivity gains and economic windfall available to Australia through innovation in digital finance. The report, informed by both the DFCRC's research and industry consultation, paints a simple picture: Australia is sitting on a possible AUD $24 billion per year opportunity if it embraces digital finance innovation at scale. The report states that whils

The Australian Department of Home Affairs and AUSTRAC have released the widely anticipated exposure draft of the Anti-Money Laundering and Counter-Terrorism Financing Transitional Rules 2026   ( Transitional Rules ). The Transitional Rules are designed to guide industry through the shift to Australia's modernised AML/CTF regime, which introduces a range of new designated services for virtual assets (as well as so-called tranche 2 entities), uplifted governance and compliance

The High Court of Australia has granted special leave  to rule on whether bitcoin is capable of being property. The case involves a dispute between Adam Poulton and Jeff Conrad and concerns Conrad’s payment to Poulton to invest $10,000 in Bitcoin on his behalf. This development follows the Full Court of the Supreme Court of Tasmania decision , which endorsed, in obiter, a third category of property for crypto assets (beyond possession and choses in action) and suggested that

Following industry consultation in late 2025 , ASIC released a new regulatory instrument providing tailored licensing relief for certain stablecoins and wrapped tokens.   ASIC Corporations (Stablecoin and Wrapped Token Relief) Instrument 2025/867 ( Relief Instrument ) provides licensing and disclosure exemptions to distributors of eligible stablecoins and eligible wrapped tokens. ‘Eligible stablecoins’ must the satisfy the following core criteria, among others: the stablecoi