Australia Passes First Crypto Bill to Regulate Digital Asset and Tokenization Platforms

Australia passed its first crypto bill on Wednesday, providing legislative clarity for the crypto industry. The comprehensive regulatory framework requires crypto exchanges and tokenized custody providers to obtain financial services licenses.

Australia’s Parliament Passes Crypto Regulation

The Corporations Amendment (Digital Assets Framework) Bill 2025 passed both houses of Parliament on April 1. It brings crypto firms, including exchange and custody providers, under the existing Australian Financial Services License framework.

The law updates Australia’s digital asset regulatory regime by defining digital tokens, digital asset platforms, and tokenized custody platforms.

Moreover, the crypto bill also targeted exemptions for certain digital token arrangements. It also gives the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) and the Minister powers to regulate these platforms.

Crypto firms such as exchanges and tokenized custody platforms are required to obtain an Australian Financial Services License from ASIC within 6 months. Crypto firms will follow the same rules as brokers or fund managers. These include safeguarding client assets, providing disclosures, avoiding misconduct, and maintaining dispute resolution and compensation systems.

Australia crypto bill comes amid growing demand and adoption by institutions. Ripple to acquire BC Payments Australia to obtain the license, marking an expansion in the Asia-Pacific region.

Crypto Industry Gets Regulatory Clarity

Digital Economy Council of Australia (DECA) praised the passing of the first crypto bill, providing long-awaited clarity for businesses, investors, and regulators. The focus will now shift to practice, licensing, implementation, and how these settings work in real-world businesses.

“There have been years of conversations, submissions, working groups, pressure, coordination and persistence to get to this point. Not the finish line, but definitely the clearing of stage one,” said DECA CEO Amy-Rose Goodey.

Australia recently tightened anti-money laundering (AML) and counter-terrorism financing (CTF) compliance for crypto firms. As CoinGape reported last week, Binance was fined AUD 10 million for misclassifying retail investors. The Australian Federal Court charged the crypto exchange as more than 85% of its Australian users were misclassified, which resulted in more than $12 million in losses and fees.