The digital asset sector moves at breakneck speed, making it important to follow all key regulatory, market and industry updates as they occur.
That is why we have developed a one-stop shop for all your Australian regulatory crypto update needs. Below you can find a list of developments involving Australian regulators and bodies such as the Federal Treasury, ASIC, APRA, ATO, AUSTRAC, Payment Systems Board, Council of Financial Regulators and the RBA, and a list of our experts that you can reach out to.
- Anti-Money Laundering and Counter-Terrorism Financing (AML/CTF) Amendment Bill 2024 introduced into Parliament (September 2024)
- Reforming Australia’s anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism financing regime (May 2024)
- Payments System Modernisation: Regulation of payment service providers (Dec 2023)
- Collective engagement to implement the Crypto-Asset Reporting Framework (Nov 2023)
- Scams – mandatory industry codes (Nov 2023)
- Reforms to the Payment Systems (Regulation) Act 1998 – Exposure draft legislation (Oct 2023)
- Regulating digital asset platforms (Oct 2023)
- A Strategic Plan for Australia’s Payments System (Jun 2023)
- Modernising Australia’s anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism financing regime consultation (April 2023)
- Consultation on major reform of Australia’s Anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism financing laws: media release from the Hon Mark Dreyfus KC MP (April 2023)
- Modernising Australia’s anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism financing regime consultation paper (April 2023)
- Review of the Reserve Bank of Australia: Media release (April 2023)
- Token Mapping: Consultation paper (February 2023)
- Making crypto safer for consumers: Joint media release from the Hon Jim Chalmers MP, Treasurer and the Hon Stephen Jones MP, Assistant Treasurer and Minister for Financial Services (February 2023)
- Modernising Australia’s financial system: Joint media release from the Hon Jim Chalmers MP, Treasurer and the Hon Stephen Jones MP, Assistant Treasurer and Minister for Financial Services (December 2022)
- Strategic Plan for the Payments System: Consultation paper (December 2022)
- Clarifying crypto not taxed as foreign currency: Exposure draft legislation (September 2022)
- Work underway on crypto asset reforms: Joint media release from the Hon Jim Chalmers MP, Treasurer, the Hon Stephen Jones MP, Assistant Treasurer and Minister for Financial Services and the Hon Dr Andrew Leigh MP, Assistant Minister for Competition, Charities and Treasury (August 2022)
- Crypto not taxed as foreign currency: Joint media release with The Hon Stephen Jones MP Assistant Treasurer (June 2022)
- Crypto asset secondary service providers: Licensing and custody requirements: Consultation paper (March 2022)
- Australian Government response to:
- The Review of the Australian Payments System;
- The Senate Select Committee on Australia as a Technology and Financial Centre: Final report; and
- The Parliamentary Joint Committee Corporations and Financial Services report: Mobile Payment and Digital Wallet Financial Services (January 2022).
- Transforming Australia’s Payments System (December 2021)
- The Senate Select Committee on Australia as a Technology and Financial Centre: Final Report (October 2021)
- Payments system review: From system to ecosystem (June 2021)
- The Senate Select Committee on Australia as a Technology and Financial Centre: Second Interim Report (April 2021)
- The Senate Select Committee on Financial Technology and Regulatory Technology: Interim Report (September 2020)
- Government response to the Senate Economics References Committee Report: Digital currency—game changer or bit player (May 2016)
- Australia's FinTech priorities (March 2016)
- The changing face of financial services (March 2016)
- Australian Regulators engagement with the FinTech industry (March 2016)
- Government response to Financial System Inquiry recommendations (October 2015)
- Crypto-currencies and digital currencies (June 2014)
ASIC
- Information Sheet 230 - Exchange traded products: Admission guidelines
- Information Sheet 225 - Crypto-assets
- Information Sheet 219 - Evaluating distributed ledger technology
- Finder Wallet sued for alleged unlicensed conduct and inadequate risk disclosure over Finder Earn product (December 2022)
- ASIC Annual Forum 2022: Chair’s keynote (November 2022)
- ASIC Enforcement 2023 Priorities (November 2022)
- ASIC sues Block Earner for unlicensed conduct over crypto-asset based products (November 2022)
- ASIC sues BPS Financial for alleged misleading statements about crypto-asset Qoin (October 2022)
- Regulating crypto-asset–based investment products within the financial services framework (April 2022)
- ASIC releases guidance on crypto-asset related investment products (October 2021)
- ASIC consults on crypto-asset based ETPs and other investment products (June 2021)
- Keynote address at Risk Australia Conference (August 2019)
- Insights on regulatory and market developments in Australia (June 2019)
- ASIC releases market integrity report (May 2019)
- ASIC updates information for businesses on ICOs and crypto-assets (May 2019)
- Financial regulation in a digital world (November 2018)
- ASIC acts against misleading Initial Coin Offerings and crypto-asset funds targeted at retail investors (September 2018)
- ASIC’s approach to innovation (July 2018)
- ASIC takes action on misleading or deceptive conduct in ICOs (May 2018)
- ASIC update: Initial coin offerings and cryptocurrency (April 2018)
- Innovation Hub: Regulatory sandbox proposal (May 2016)
- Op-ed: Blockchain by ASIC Chairman Greg Medcraft (as he then was) (October 2015)
- The future of capital markets in a digital economy (September 2015)
Disciplinary proceedings
- Ex CEO of crypto exchange Mine Digital charged with fraud (Oct 2024)
- ASIC wins case against Kraken crypto exchange operator for design and distribution failure (Aug 2024)
- Former BitConnect promoter John Bigatton convicted for providing unlicenced financial advice (Jul 2024)
- Court relieves Block Earner from liability to pay a penalty for offering unlicensed crypto-related product ‘Earner’ (Jun 2024)
Related: ASIC appeals Court’s decision to relieve Block Earner from liability to pay a penalty (Jun 2024)
Related: Court finds Block Earner needed financial services licence to offer Earner crypto product (Feb 2024) - ASIC wins first court outcome regarding a non-cash payment facility involving crypto assets (May 2024)
- ASIC appeals Finder Wallet decision (Apr 2024)
Related: Federal Court finds Finder Earn product was not a financial product (Mar 2024) - ASIC obtains Federal Court orders appointing receivers over digital currency assets of blockchain mining companies (Apr 2024)
- ASIC secures interim travel restraint orders against former Blockchain Global director (Feb 2024)
- ASIC sues crypto exchange alleging design and distribution failures (Sep 2023)
- Fintech company pays penalties for crypto product representations (Sep 2023)
- Cryptocurrency lender sentenced for false licence claims (Aug 2023)
RBA
- RBA and DFCRC Joint Consultation Paper Project Acacia (Nov 2024)
- BIS and Central Bank Partners Demonstrate That Policy Compliance Can Be Embedded in Cross-border Transactions With Project Mandala (Oct 2024)
Related: BIS and Central Bank Partners to Explore Protocols for Embedding Policy and Regulatory Compliance in Cross-border Transactions (Oct 2023) - RBA and Treasury Joint Paper on Central Bank Digital Currency and the Future of Digital Money in Australia (Sep 2024)
- Review of the Reserve Bank of Australia (April 2023)
- Research Project Exploring Use Cases for CBDC (March 2023)
- Payments System Board Update: February 2023 Meeting (February 2023)
- Australian CBDC Pilot for Digital Finance Innovation: White Paper (September 2022)
- Financial Stability Review (April 2022)
- Project Dunbar - International settlements using multi-CBDCs (March 2022)
- Payments: The Future? A Speech by Governor Philip Lowe (December 2021)
- Project Atom - Exploring a Wholesale CBDC for Syndicated Lending (December 2021)
- The Future of Payments: Cryptocurrencies, Stablecoins or Central Bank Digital Currencies? A Speech by Head of Payments Tony Richards (as he then was) (November 2021)
- Review of Retail Payments Regulation Conclusions Paper (October 2021)
- RBA submission to Select Committee on Australia as a Technology and Financial Centre (July 2021)
- Reserve Bank Welcomes Digital Finance Cooperative Research Centre Announcement (June 2021)
- Review of Retail Payments Regulation (May 2021)
- Submission to Payments System Review (January 2021)
- Digital Currencies (2021)
- Payments System Board Annual Report - 3. Retail Payments Regulation and Policy Issues (2021)
- Reserve Bank partners with Commonwealth Bank, National Australia Bank, Perpetual and ConsenSys Software on Wholesale Central Bank Digital Currency Research Project (November 2020)
- Retail Central Bank Digital Currency: Design Considerations and Rationales. A Speech by Head of Payments Tony Richards (as he then was) (October 2020)
- RDP 2020-06: Consumer Payment Behaviour in Australia: Evidence from the 2019 Consumer Payments Survey - 8. Innovation in Payments (September 2020)
- Retail Central Bank Digital Currency: Design Considerations, Rationales and Implications (September 2020)
- Submission to the Senate Select Committee on Financial Technology and Regulatory Technology (December 2019)
- Review of Retail Payments Regulation: Issues Paper (November 2019)
- Financial Stability Review - 4. Regulatory Developments (April 2019)
- Cryptocurrency: Ten Years On (June 2019)
- Payments System Board Annual Report - Retail Payments Regulation and Policy Issues (2019)
- Financial Stability Review - 4. Regulatory Developments (October 2019)
- Financial Stability Review - 4. Regulatory Developments (April 2019)
- Cryptocurrencies and Distributed Ledger Technology. A Speech by Head of Payments Tony Richards (as he then was) (June 2018)
- Payments System Board Annual Report - Retail Payments Regulation and Policy Issues (2018)
- An eAUD? A Speech by Governor Philip Lowe (December 2017)
- Payments System Board Annual Report - Retail Payments Regulation and Policy Issues (2017)
- The Ongoing Evolution of the Australian Payments System. A Speech by Head of Payments Policy Tony Richards (as he then was) (February 2016)
- Payments System Board Annual Report - Retail Payments Policy and Developments (2016)
- Submission to the Inquiry into Digital Currency Senate Economics References Committee (November 2014)
- Reserve Bank of Australia Annual Report - International Financial Cooperation (2014)
APRA
- Interim Policy and Supervision Priorities update (Jan 2024)
- APRA response to Reserve Bank of Australia Review (April 2023)
- APRA Chair Wayne Byres - Speech to the Financial Review Banking Summit 2022 (May 2022)
- Crypto-assets: Risk management expectations and policy roadmap (April 2022)
- APRA Chair Wayne Byres - Speech to the American Chamber of Commerce in Australia (April 2022)
AUSTRAC
- Digital currency exchange providers (January 2023)
- Preventing the criminal abuse of digital currencies (December 2022)
- Detecting and stopping ransomware payments (April 2022)
- AUSTRAC works with businesses to target ransomware and criminal use of digital currencies (April 2022)
- Digital currency exchange risk management methodology fact sheet (October 2020)
- A guide to preparing and implementing an AML/CTF program for your digital currency exchange business (August 2020)
- New Australian laws to regulate cryptocurrency providers (April 2018)
- Stored value cards risk assessment 2017 (April 2017)
- Report on the Statutory Review of the Anti-Money Laundering and Counter-Finance Terrorism Financing Act 2006 and Associate Rules and Regulations (April 2016)
- Typologies and case studies report 2012 (2012)
Other resources
- FCA welcomes Project Guardian’s first industry report on tokenisation (Nov 2024)
- New bill introduced in Parliament to clarify crypto’s legal status (Sep 2024)
- Policy Recommendations for Crypto and Digital Asset Markets (Nov 2023)
- Regulating cryptoassets Phase 1: Stablecoins (Nov 2023)
- Regulatory regime for systemic payment systems using stablecoins and related service providers (Nov 2023)
- Managing the failure of systemic digital settlement asset (including stablecoin) firms Government response to Consultation (Oct 2023)
- Update on plans for the regulation of fiat-backed stablecoins (Oct 2023)
- Guidance for crypto firms to help them comply with marketing rules (Nov 2023)
- FSB Global Regulatory Framework for Crypto-asset Activities (Jul 2023)
- Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation (MiCA) – This includes several consultations
- Navigating Bankruptcy in Digital Asset Markets: Digital Asset Intermediaries and Customer Asset Protection (May 2023) - ISDA
- FSB Work Programme for 2023 (March 2023) – Financial Stability Board
- Quarterly Statement by the Council of Financial Regulators (March 2023) - Council of Financial Regulators
- FSB Chair outlines work priorities for 2023 (February 2023) – Financial Stability Board
- FSB Chair’s letter to G20 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors (February 2023) - Financial Stability Board
- Legal Statement on the issuance and transfer of digital securities under English private law (February 2023) - The UK Jurisdictional Taskforce
- The Financial Stability Risks of Decentralised Finance (February 2023) – Financial Stability Board
- Bringing Legal Certainty to Digital Asset Derivatives (January 2023) – ISDA
- ISDA Launches Standard Definitions for Digital Asset Derivatives (January 2023) - ISDA
- Navigating Bankruptcy in Digital Asset Markets: Netting and Collateral Enforceability (January 2023) - ISDA
- Governors and Heads of Supervision endorse global bank prudential standard for cryptoassets and work programme of Basel Committee (December 2022) – Bank of International Settlements
- Review of the FSB High-level Recommendations of the Regulation, Supervision and Oversight of “Global Stablecoin” Arrangements: Consultative report (October 2022) – Financial Stability Board
- Review of the Tax Treatment of Digital Assets and Transactions in Australia (August 2022) - Board of Taxation
- Quarterly Statement by the Council of Financial Regulators (June 2022)- Council of Financial Regulators
- Blockchain 2030 – A Look at the Future of Blockchain in Australia (April 2019)- ACS & Data61
- Sydney Node, Part 2 of 2 (January 2019) - Stanford Journal of Blockchain Law and Policy
- Making Money Smart: Empowering NDIS participants with Blockchain technologies (October 2018) - Commonwealth Bank, CSIRO & Data61
- Smart Derivatives Contracts: From Concept to Construction (October 2018) – ISDA and King & Wood Mallesons
- Sydney Node, Part 1 of 2 (June 2018) - Stanford Journal of Blockchain Law and Policy
- ACS Blockchain 2030 (June 2018) – Australian Computer Society, CSIRO and Data61
- Lost and found in smart contract translation - considerations in transitioning to automation in legal architecture (July 2017) - UN Commission and King & Wood Mallesons
- Risks and opportunities for systems using blockchain and smart contracts (May 2017) – Data61 and CSIRO
- Distributed Ledgers: Scenarios for the Australian economy over the coming decades (May 2017)- Data61
- Risks and Opportunities for Systems using Blockchain and Smart Contracts (May 2017)- Data61
- Project DnA – Smart Contract Legal Architecture (June 2016) – King & Wood Mallesons GitHub
- National Blockchain Roadmap - Department of Foreign and Affairs and Trade
- Digital currency—game changer or bit player (August 2015)- The Senate Economics References Committee
Fintech, Crypto and Blockchain insights
As digital economies around the world continue to expand, new technologies are replacing the global marketplace.
