The Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) has mandated that firms relying on its 'no-action position' for digital assets must apply for or vary an Australian Financial Services (AFS) license by September 30, 2026, or risk violating financial services law from October 1. Entities needing a market license or clearing and settlement (CS) facility license must also notify ASIC in writing by the same date. Failure to comply may result in civil and criminal penalties, with fines up to 10% of annual turnover. ASIC has received over 45 license applications since updating its digital asset guidance in October 2025. The Digital Asset Framework Amendment (DAF) Act, passed in April 2026, will take effect on April 9, 2027.

The Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) has warned crypto firms relying on temporary regulatory relief that they must apply for an Australian Financial Services License (AFSL) or amend their existing license by September 30, 2026. Failure to meet the deadline could result in civil penalties of up to 10% of annual turnover. ASIC also requires firms that need a market license or clearing and settlement license to notify the regulator and attend a pre-application meeting. Starting October 1, 2026, firms that do not meet the conditions of ASIC's "no-action" position but still require authorization may be in breach of financial services law and face civil and criminal penalties. ASIC disclosed that it has recorded more than 45 digital asset-related license applications since updating its guidance in October 2025. On June 25, 2026, ASIC extended the temporary relief period from June 30 to September 30 and broadened its scope. The warning underscores the regulator's increasing scrutiny of the crypto sector.

Australia's Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) has warned crypto companies relying on temporary regulatory exemptions that they must apply for an Australian Financial Services License (AFSL) or amend an existing license by September 30. Starting October 1, firms that still need authorization but do not meet ASIC's no-action position conditions may face penalties, including fines up to 10% of annual turnover. ASIC said it has received over 45 digital asset-related license applications since its guidance update in October 2025.

Tom Lee predicts Bitcoin could reach $150,000 as institutions buy crypto stocks, calling current rally just the first wave. Former SEC and CFTC officials co-signed a letter urging risk-calibrated regulation to attract offshore perpetual futures back to the U.S. Bitfinex Securities lists 5 tokenized notes linked to Strategy and other Bitcoin reserve companies. 21 global financial institutions commit to forming a joint stablecoin company targeting 2027 launch. Other key stories: OSL Group revenue up 65.8%, Kraken parent partners with LSE to tokenize 100 UK stocks, Fed's Barr warns of rate hikes if inflation persists, Singapore MAS consults on stablecoin regulation, Thai SEC proposes allowing retail to trade overseas crypto derivatives, and more.

Hong Kong-listed OSL Group (HKEX: 863) reported interim results for the six months ended June 30, 2026, with total revenue climbing 65.8% year over year to HK$55.813 billion. Payment business revenue rose 69.3% to HK$49.083 billion, accounting for 88% of total revenue, while total trading volume surged 241.3% to HK$172 billion. Revenue from outside Asia-Pacific reached HK$7.8 billion, up tenfold. Adjusted non-IFRS earnings came in at HK$331 million, up 75.5%. CEO Cui Kaiwen said the company set new records in trading volume and revenue despite a notable market pullback, and described OSL as the world's largest stablecoin payment infrastructure provider by B2B stablecoin payment volume. In February 2026, OSL launched USDGO, a corporate US dollar stablecoin issued by Anchorage Digital Bank, N.A.; its circulation exceeded US$800 million within four months and surpassed US$1.2 billion by August. During the reporting period, OSL completed the acquisition of Banxa Holdings Inc in January 2026, secured a MiCAR licence from Austria's Financial Market Authority and an AFSL from the Australian Securities and Investments Commission, and launched OSL AgentPay, a stablecoin payment rail for AI agents.

BiFu has expanded its Wealth section around two lines: a portfolio-style wealth management shelf and an RWA section. According to the company’s public product pages cited in the article, the wealth side now includes five funds managed by licensed asset managers, spanning fixed income, gold, foreign exchange, Hong Kong IPO allocation and digital-asset quantitative strategies. The RWA side lists three fund-style offerings tied to private market equity exposure, including projects linked to StepFun, Sunrise and a Musk technology unicorn fund. The article says BiFu is positioning both sections as answers to the same question: what an exchange can offer once users move beyond short-term trading and start looking for multi-year allocation. It also cites RWA.xyz data showing that on-chain RWA reached about $38 billion as of August 2026, with more than 2 million holders and 281 issuers. BiFu argues that the bigger opportunity is not only yield, but access, especially in private equity and alternative funds that are often unavailable to ordinary investors through traditional channels. BiFu also outlines a future framework for asset-side issuers, covering tokenization, market trading and investor allocation. The company says its role will include compliance setup, issuance support, exchange distribution and secondary-market access, as it builds the Wealth section into an open gateway for more licensed managers and tokenized assets.

Crypto exchange BitMart said on July 26 that it will begin an orderly wind-down of operations, immediately stopping new user registrations and all deposits while limiting futures users to position reductions only. The platform said all spot, futures and other trading will end on Aug. 26, with the exchange scheduled to formally shut down on Jan. 31, 2027. Users are being urged to complete identity verification and close positions before 01:00 UTC on Aug. 26, and to submit withdrawal requests before 05:00 UTC the same day. BitMart said delayed or late withdrawals could be pushed into a separate handling process, and warned that review times may be extended by heavy demand, missing documentation, KYC checks, source-of-funds reviews, and Travel Rule sanctions screening. The announcement stands in sharp contrast to the exchange’s May 23 statement, when it denied a withdrawal crisis, said operations were normal, and promised to release proof of reserves at a later date. That disclosure never arrived before the shutdown notice. The report also noted BitMart’s earlier actions in the three days before the announcement, including restrictions for identified U.S. users, fees for dormant accounts, and the removal of spot margin services.

Australia's parliament passed the Corporations Amendment Digital Assets Framework Bill 2025, requiring crypto platforms to obtain financial services licenses and comply with traditional financial regulations, effective in 12 months.