Australia Crypto Regulation Timeline

Key dates for Australian crypto regulation: ASIC court cases and the Digital Assets Framework Act 2026.

1. 12 Dec 2024ASIC

   ASIC 24-274MR: Kraken

   Federal Court penalty of $8 million: Bit Trade, which operated the Kraken exchange, offered a ‘margin extension’ product to more than 1,100 customers without a target market determination.

   Source: ASIC 24-274MR official

2. 17 Dec 2024ASIC

   ASIC 24-283MR: Binance Australia

   ASIC sued Oztures Trading, trading as Binance Australia Derivatives, alleging retail clients were misclassified as wholesale clients.

   Source: ASIC 24-283MR official

3. 22 Apr 2025ASIC

   ASIC 25-062MR: Block Earner

   Full Federal Court found Block Earner did not need a financial services licence for its Earner product; ASIC's appeal was dismissed.

   Source: ASIC 25-062MR official

4. 24 Jul 2025ASIC

   ASIC 25-147MR: Finder Wallet

   Full Federal Court dismissed ASIC's appeal: the Finder Earn product was not a debenture.

   Source: ASIC 25-147MR official

5. 27 Jan 2026ASIC

   ASIC 26-008MR: BPS Financial (Qoin)

   Federal Court penalties of $14 million ($2 million for unlicensed conduct, $12 million for misleading conduct) over the Qoin Wallet.

   Source: ASIC 26-008MR official

6. 27 Mar 2026ASIC

   ASIC 26-055MR: Binance Australia

   Federal Court penalty of $10 million: 524 retail investors were exposed to crypto derivatives without retail protections after misclassification as wholesale clients.

   Source: ASIC 26-055MR official

7. 1 Apr 2026Law

   Digital Assets Framework Act Passed

   Parliament passes the Corporations Amendment (Digital Assets Framework) Act 2026.

   Source: ASIC official

8. 8 Apr 2026Law

   Royal Assent

   Start of ASIC's 18-month implementation timeline.

   Source: ASIC, Act official

9. 17 Jun 2026ASIC

   ASIC 26-124MR: Block Earner

   High Court (7-0) found the fixed-yield Earner product was a financial product, so Block Earner required an AFS licence, overturning the 2025 Full Court decision.

   Source: ASIC 26-124MR official

10. 9 Apr 2027Commencement

    Act Commences

    Digital asset platforms and tokenised custody platforms come under the financial services licensing regime.

    Source: ASIC official