Australia's Digital Assets Framework Act: Licensing From 9 April 2027

The short version: the Corporations Amendment (Digital Assets Framework) Act 2026 passed Parliament on 1 Apr 2026, received Royal Assent on 8 Apr 2026 and commences on 9 Apr 2027. It brings digital asset platforms (DAPs) and tokenised custody platforms (TCPs) under ASIC's financial services licensing regime (ASIC, Act).

ASIC's 18-month Roadmap

• Months 1–6: stakeholder roundtables, an industry advisory group, consultation on guidance and standards. ASIC wrote that access to the INFO 225 class no-action position “will expire in June” and that firms must comply with existing licensing requirements meanwhile.
• Months 6–12: a new regulatory guide for DAPs and TCPs; standards on asset holding (s912BE), transactions and settlement (s912BF), and financial requirements.
• Months 12–18: DAP and TCP operators can lodge licence applications and operate under regulatory relief until their applications are processed.
• Month 18 onwards: full implementation, including ASIC supervision and enforcement.

Source: ASIC roadmap for digital assets law reform implementation. ASIC's guidance on when digital assets are financial products today is INFO 225.

What It Means for Registered Firms

AUSTRAC registration continues alongside. 14 of the 17 major crypto platforms we track are on AUSTRAC's virtual asset service provider register (check); the Act adds an ASIC licence for platforms.