The Corporations Amendment (Digital Assets Framework) Bill 2025 has passed both Houses of Parliament, providing Australia’s digital asset businesses with the long-awaited legislative clarity they have been seeking.
According to Investor Daily, the move has been described as a “significant milestone for Australia’s digital asset industry”.
Lawmakers introduced the bill in late November 2025.
It amends the Corporations Act 2001 and the Australian Securities and Investments Commission Act 2001 to regulate digital asset platforms and cryptocurrency exchanges.
Under the reforms, platforms holding client digital assets must obtain an Australian Financial Services License (AFSL), a measure aimed at strengthening consumer protection and improving platform safety standards.
In a statement, the Digital Economy Council of Australia (DECA) welcomed the development.
“For the first time, we have a legislative framework that directly addresses digital asset platforms and it provides long-awaited clarity for businesses, investors and regulators, and marks a shift from uncertainty toward implementation,”
it said.
DECA noted that attention now turns to licensing pathways, transitional arrangements, and the practical application of the regime.
CEO Amy-Rose Goodey said she spent the morning “on the edge of [her] seat watching the Senate livestream”.
“There have been years of conversations, submissions, working groups, pressure, coordination and persistence to get to this point. Not the finish line, but definitely the clearing of stage one. It’s now about how this works in practice, licensing, implementation, and how these settings work for real businesses operating in the real world.”
The industry body will continue engaging with ASIC and the Commonwealth Treasury on the finer details of the bill.
The bill now awaits Royal Assent, the final formal step before it becomes law.
The government will commence the bill 12 months after assent and provide an additional transition window for businesses to comply.
Featured image credit: Edited by Fintech News Australia, based on image by freepik, marozhkastudio and shamaoonstudio via Freepik
