What happened
Following the passage of the Corporations Amendment (Digital Assets Framework) Act 2026 in April, the Australian Securities and Investments Commission is progressing new guidelines for crypto platforms and tokenized custody providers. The regime enforces strict customer asset protection, capital reserves, and transaction settlement standards ahead of mandatory licensing.
Why it matters here
Elevated regulatory scrutiny reduces counterparty risk and operational platform failures for digital asset holders. Requiring crypto exchanges to meet financial services standards establishes clearer legal obligations, potentially encouraging greater institutional capital entry into the local market while forcing non-compliant platforms out.
What to watch
ASIC will open public consultation on draft standards in the fourth quarter of 2026, ahead of final guidance and the April 9, 2027 licensing deadline.
Source
cryptometer.io