Crypto News
The Australian Treasury on October 17, 2026 opened a public consultation on draft laws that would require crypto platforms to report resident transactions to the Tax Office, aligning domestic law with the OECD Crypto Asset Reporting Framework and widening reporting to cover e money, CBDCs and crypto derivatives.
Australia’s corporate regulator published draft standards and guidance for exchanges and tokenised custody platforms, proposing asset holding, settlement and substantial capital requirements as the Digital Assets Framework comes into force on April 8, 2027.
Australia’s corporate regulator published Consultation Paper 392 on October 15, 2026, proposing capital, custody and trading standards for digital asset platforms as new digital asset laws move toward implementation in 2027. The consultation includes a high‑end capital model that would require some operators to hold A$14 million in net tangible assets, limits on proprietary trading, and stricter third party custody conditions.
OKX Australia has launched USDT settled Pre IPO perpetual futures that let eligible wholesale clients take leveraged positions on the implied valuations of private tech firms including OpenAI and Anthropic. The product expands derivative access in Australia but raises regulatory and market integrity questions for local policymakers and institutions.
As Australia steps up anti money laundering enforcement, regulators say fraudsters are exploiting that visibility by impersonating AUSTRAC staff and pressuring victims to pay via messaging apps and cryptocurrency.
Australia’s financial intelligence agency on October 11, 2026 reinforced targeted supervision of virtual asset services and high risk payments, signaling tougher enforcement for crypto ATMs, over the counter dealers, and embedded onramp services as recent anti-money laundering rules take effect.
The Reserve Bank of Australia launched a new consultation and updated its retail CBDC work, pressing industry and stakeholders for views on how core settlement infrastructure should support tokenised assets and private digital money.
Tasmania Police say scammers steered victims to cryptocurrency ATMs, extracting more than AU$1.5 million in three months. The surge, concentrated among older victims, highlights gaps in ATM oversight and the limits of recent AUSTRAC safeguards.
Australia’s regulator ended its sector wide no action position on September 30, 2026. Industry advisers and compliance specialists warn unlicensed digital asset firms now face enforcement risk under existing financial services and anti money laundering rules, while a new licensing regime remains months away.
Police and regulators say fraudsters are increasingly directing victims to cryptocurrency ATMs, with Tasmanian authorities reporting more than A$1.5 million lost in a three month period. Advocates and AUSTRAC urge stronger controls and public education as the machines spread into regional communities.
Federal regulators have begun stepping up enforcement against businesses that failed to meet new anti money laundering and digital asset licensing obligations, raising the stakes for exchanges, custodians and advisers operating in Australia.
The Australian corporate regulator has lifted the transaction-value ceiling that allows low volume markets to operate without a full market licence. The change narrows the compliance gap for small crypto trading venues while increasing regulatory clarity as Australia implements broader digital asset reforms.
Australia’s corporate regulator has issued a final reminder to digital asset firms to secure or vary licences before the sector wide no action relief ends on September 30, 2026, a move that forces exchanges, custody providers and other crypto service firms to decide whether to apply, restructure or wind down operations immediately.
Bitcoin surged above $85,000 for the first time in roughly eight months as a wave of forced liquidations erased about $648 million in bearish crypto positions and accelerated the market's latest rebound.
Bitcoin climbed back above $80,000 on Friday as cryptocurrency markets rebounded sharply, with Solana and other major digital assets also rising despite uncertainty surrounding US crypto legislation and higher interest rates.