Australia locks in its digital-asset market framework

Australia has enacted a national digital-assets framework, with the operating perimeter set to start in April 2027.

Australia has enacted a dedicated statutory framework for digital asset platforms and tokenised custody platforms.

What changed now is legal architecture, not immediate market operation: the regime does not commence until 8 April 2027, and fresh official-source review still does not prove named licences, Ministerial declarations, ASIC platform standards, or live institutional launches under the new Act.

The Corporations Amendment (Digital Assets Framework) Act 2026 is now law, adds digital asset platforms and tokenised custody platforms to Australia's Corporations Act and ASIC Act architecture, and gives ASIC and the Minister tailored standard-setting, declaration and exemption powers. But the Act's own commencement clause delays the operative regime until 8 April 2027, followed by an AFSL transition window, so this is a real legislative milestone rather than an immediate licensing wave.