Coinbase Australia Receives AFSL Licence: A New Chapter for Crypto in Australia
Tldr: Coinbase Australia has been granted an Australian Financial Services Licence (AFSL) with a retail derivatives authorisation, making us the first crypto exchange to receive this landmark approval from ASIC. This milestone deepens our commitment to Australian customers and positions Coinbase as a trusted, regulated home for crypto in one of the world's most engaged crypto markets.
Today, we are proud to announce that Coinbase Australia Pty Ltd has received an Australian Financial Services Licence (AFSL) from ASIC — a milestone that reflects years of investment in this market and our commitment to operating at the highest standards of consumer protection and regulatory compliance.
The AFSL – granted ahead of incoming legislation that will require digital asset exchanges to hold one – provides us with the regulatory foundation to bring the Everything Exchange to Australia. With this critical step we will be offering crypto and equity perpetuals to Australians, followed by futures and options. As we expand the Everything Exchange, we’re going to compete with traditional financial services on stock trading, payments and other TradFi products with the speed and execution of crypto - all from the Coinbase app.
Australia has always held a special place in Coinbase's global story. We first serviced the market in 2016, and it was immediately clear that Australians were among the world's earliest and most enthusiastic adopters of digital currencies. In 2022, we incorporated Coinbase Australia Pty Ltd as a local entity, registered with AUSTRAC, and launched a dedicated local platform with PayID support, Retail Advanced Trading, and 24/7 customer support. We also partnered with RMIT's Blockchain Innovation Hub on Web3 research, joined the Digital Economy Council of Australia, and engaged actively with policymakers on the path toward sensible crypto regulation. Lately, we’ve been building an all-star team, with deep experience in highly regulated industries, across functions including legal, compliance, marketing and operations.
Receiving an AFSL is the natural next step in our journey. This licence subjects Coinbase Australia to the same standards of conduct, disclosure, governance and consumer protection that apply to traditional financial services providers — and that is exactly how it should be.
Coinbase Australia’s Chief Operating Officer, Adam Judd, will oversee the management of the AFSL. Adam was previously an Executive Manager at CommSec he was responsible for its most complex product lines through a period of significant regulatory change. Prior to that, Adam spent more than a decade with the ASIC in senior regulatory and market structure roles.
This milestone also comes at a pivotal moment. Australia's Corporations Amendment (Digital Assets Framework) Bill 2025 is bringing crypto platforms under the financial services licensing regime, and we are proud to be among the first to meet this bar. We look forward to continuing to work alongside ASIC and Treasury to help shape a regulatory environment that protects consumers, fosters innovation, and positions Australia for leadership in the global digital economy.
We have long believed that thoughtful regulation is good for customers, good for the industry, and good for Australia's ambition to be a leading digital economy in the Asia-Pacific region.
Australia is a priority market for Coinbase — and today's announcement is a testament to that commitment.
About John O’LoghlenRegional Managing Director APAC & Country Director AustraliaJohn O'Loghlen is the Coinbase Country Director, Australia. Prior to joining Coinbase, John led the expansion of Alibaba Group and Ant Group in Australia and New Zealand as well as overseeing the WorldFirst cross border payments business. Before relocating to Sydney in 2014, John spent the previous 11 years in China building businesses in the food delivery space following on from a career in investment banking with Goldman Sachs in London, New York and Beijing.
