Australia’s ASIC says crypto should be regulated by economic function, not technology labels. Under the Digital Assets Framework Bill 2025, qualifying platforms must obtain licenses by June 30, 2026, while breaches could face penalties of up to 10% of annual turnover.

Australia’s ASIC says crypto should be regulated by economic function rather than technology labels. Under the Digital Assets Framework Bill 2025, platforms may need new licenses by June 30, 2026, while breaches could face penalties of up to 10% of annual turnover.

Coinbase stock rallied to $189 but failed to break the 50-day EMA. A death cross from December 2025 keeps bearish pressure. However, the new Australian financial license and accumulation zone at $140-160 offer support. A breakout could target $240.

Coinbase stock bounced from $140-$160 support to $189 but failed to break the 50-day EMA. The December 2025 death cross still dominates the bearish trend. Despite securing an Australian AFSL, technical indicators like OBV and CMF remain negative. A breakout above $189 could target $240.

Coinbase secured an Australian financial services license, strengthening its global expansion plan. However, its stock still failed to break key 50-day EMA resistance after rising to $189, leaving investors focused on technical weakness, support at $140-$160, and broader market implications.

Australian Senate Economics Committee supports a bill to bring crypto exchanges and custodians under existing financial regulations, requiring AFSL licensing within six months, while blockchain technology remains unregulated.

Australia has passed its first comprehensive digital asset framework, creating a major shift in how the country regulates crypto intermediaries. The Corporations Amendment (Digital Assets Framework) Bill 2025 cleared both houses of Parliament on April 1 and introduces a licensing-based regime for exchanges, custody providers, and tokenized asset operators. Instead of regulating digital assets themselves, the law focuses on firms that control customer funds and holdings, reflecting lessons from past failures involving commingled assets, misuse of client funds, and insolvencies that left users unable to recover their crypto. Under the new framework, crypto businesses that fall within the law must obtain an Australian Financial Services Licence, or AFSL, from the Australian Securities and Investments Commission. They will be subject to obligations similar to those faced by brokers and fund managers, including client asset safeguarding, capital requirements, disclosures, and participation in dispute resolution systems. The legislation also adds two regulated categories under the Corporations Act: digital asset platforms and tokenized custody platforms. The reform replaces a more fragmented system in which many exchanges only needed anti-money-laundering registration unless their products were already classified as financial instruments. Regulators will also gain broader authority over custody, governance, and risk management, backed by civil penalties for noncompliance. At the same time, smaller firms handling less than A$5,000 per customer and under A$10 million in annual transactions may benefit from limited exemptions. Separately, Hostplus is exploring offering Bitcoin and other digital assets to nearly two million members through Choiceplus, potentially as early as the next financial year.

Australia has approved its first broad digital asset regulatory framework, bringing crypto exchanges and custody providers under the country’s mainstream financial services regime. The Corporations Amendment (Digital Assets Framework) Bill 2025 passed both houses of Parliament on April 1 and introduces two new regulated categories: digital asset platforms, which include exchanges and similar services holding crypto for users, and tokenized custody platforms, which hold real-world assets and issue digital tokens representing them. Operators in both categories must obtain an Australian Financial Services Licence, or AFSL, from the Australian Securities and Investments Commission. That means complying with obligations around safeguarding client assets, maintaining adequate capital, clear disclosure, and dispute resolution. The framework is designed to regulate intermediaries that control customer funds rather than digital assets themselves, reflecting lessons from past failures involving commingled assets, misuse of customer funds, and insolvency. Australia also included limited exemptions for smaller firms handling less than A$5,000 per customer and under A$10 million in annual transactions. At the same time, Hostplus is exploring offering Bitcoin and other digital assets to nearly two million members through its Choiceplus platform, potentially as early as the next financial year if approved.