The Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) has announced the findings of Project Acacia, a collaborative research initiative between the RBA and the Digital Finance Cooperative Research Centre (DFCRC) that sought to explore the role of tokenised finance in Australia’s wholesale asset market. The final report provides a detailed and practical exploration of how tokenised finance could reshape wholesale markets in Australia. Drawing on 20 industry-led use cases, the report demonstra

AUSTRAC has recently launched two supervisory campaigns targeting virtual asset businesses as new AML/CTF reforms come into effect. One of these initiatives, the “ramps and rails” campaign, specifically targets over-the-counter crypto-to-cash operators. The other targets local digital currency exchange operators. This follows the transition from the “digital currency exchange” regime to the expanded “virtual asset service provider” (VASP) framework earlier this year. The VASP

The Australian High Court’s docket does not often feature bitcoin as a central character. That was until recently, when the High Court granted special leave to Adam Poulton in a dispute with Jeff Conrad, who paid Poulton to invest $10,000 in bitcoin on his behalf. On 7 May 2026, the Federal Commissioner of Taxation filed submissions seeking leave to intervene in the matter (Poulton v Conrad (H1/2026)), a Hobart Registry appeal that raises a direct question at the boundary of

ASIC issued a press release this week emphasising that digital asset businesses should move quickly to determine whether they are required to apply for an Australian financial services licence (AFSL), or a variation to an existing AFSL before ASIC’s no-action position expires on 30 June 2026. ASIC’s no‑action relief is a transitional position under which ASIC has indicated it does not intend to take enforcement action in respect of certain unlicensed financial services involv

The County Court of Victoria has delivered a significant ruling in Siegers v Nest Services Ltd & Ors [2026] VCC 15, confirming that orthodox civil procedure rules can be deployed to pursue cryptocurrency fraud, even where perpetrators are unidentified and exchanges are offshore. In a practical win for scam victims, the Court allowed preliminary discovery against multiple cryptocurrency exchanges to obtain information capable of identifying the controllers of wallets through

Following the commencement of Australia’s reformed financial market infrastructure (FMI) regime late last year under the Treasury Laws Amendment (Financial Market Infrastructure and Other Measures) Act 2024 (Cth), ASIC has released Consultation Paper 50 (CS 50). CS 50 proposes targeted updates to ASIC’s regulatory guidance to give practical effect to the new framework and ASIC’s expanded powers. What guidance is changing? ASIC is proposing updates to three cornerstone Regulat

Following the passage of the Corporations Amendment (Digital Assets Framework) Act 2026 (Cth) (DAF Act) earlier this month, ASIC has published its roadmap for implementing Australia’s new digital assets regulatory framework. The roadmap outlines ASIC’s planned consultation and implementation program over the next 18 months ahead of commencement in April 2027, covering two new financial products: digital asset platforms (DAPs) and tokenised custody platforms (TCPs). This is a

Australia's multi-year payments modernisation agenda has marked another milestone with Treasury releasing the Tranche 1 exposure draft legislation for public consultation . The draft legislation gives practical form to the new function-based regulatory perimeter that is slated to eventually replace Australia's "ageing" non-cash payment ( NCP ) facility authorisation under the financial services licensing regime and the purchased payment facility framework administered princi

The Australian Senate has today approved the Corporation Amendment (Digital Assets Framework) Bill 2025 ( the Bill ) which will bring cryptocurrency exchanges and custodians within the Australian financial service licensing framework requiring them to meet the same standards of transparency, integrity and consumer protection that apply to all financial services businesses. For an industry that has navigated uncertainty without clear regulatory footing for years, the passing