The long-awaited legal framework for digital assets in Australia has officially entered into force after being passed by the Parliament. The legislation, approved Wednesday, It requires cryptocurrency exchanges and custody service providers to obtain a financial services license.
Scope and innovations of the new regulation
The enacted Corporations Amendment (Digital Assets Framework) Bill 2025 enabled companies that hold crypto assets on behalf of users to be included in the Australian Financial Services Licensing regime. Thus, companies that store customers’ crypto assets or their associated tokens will be subject to direct supervision.
With the regulation, two new categories in Australian law were implemented. The first of these is digital asset platforms that entrust users’ cryptocurrencies; The other was defined as tokenized custody platforms where real assets are stored in exchange for digital tokens.
The new law is not directly related to cryptocurrencies themselves; At its core, it focuses on brokerage firms that manage client funds. In particular, it is pointed out that risks such as fund confusion, bankruptcy and misuse of assets among these companies have caused great losses in the past.
First evaluations and economic expectations from the sector
According to research conducted by the Digital Finance Cooperative Research Center and industry representatives, it is estimated that Australia can achieve an annual economic volume of around 24 billion Australian dollars in the field of tokenized markets and digital assets. This figure corresponds to approximately 1 percent of the country’s economy. Under the old regulation, a market volume of only 1 billion dollars was predicted by 2030.
Officials of Kraken, one of the cryptocurrency exchanges, are of the opinion that the law that came into force shows a significant change in Australia’s view of digital assets. In the statement made by the institution, it was emphasized that the clarification of the rules will help companies gain stronger motivation in investing and expanding in the local market.
The law is a high-level signal that Australia is serious about digital assets. A more predictable regulatory environment can help companies increase their local investments.
Kate Cooper, CEO of OKX Australia and co-chair of the Australian Digital Economy Council, also stated that the law ushered in a new era in the industry.
The new legislation creates a solid foundation for the participation of institutional actors in the sector and long-term capital allocation.
OKX Australia, managed by Kate Cooper, is known as a globally operating cryptocurrency exchange and aims to grow in the Australian market. The Digital Economy Council of Australia consists of industry representatives who play a role in the country’s development of standards in the field of digital finance.
With the regulation, Australia is expected to create a more effective and secure environment in the digital assets and tokenized finance market on a global scale.
