Coinbase Granted AFSL License in Australia by Financial Regulator

Coinbase is planning to expand its offerings in Australia to include derivatives, equities and payments after securing an Australian financial services license (AFSL).

John O’Loghlen, regional managing director for APAC at Coinbase, said the Australian financial services license (AFSL) will see the exchange initially offer crypto and equity perpetuals but will open the door for futures, options and other traditional financial products.

“We’re going to compete with traditional financial services on stock trading, payments and other TradFi products with the speed and execution of crypto,” O’Loghlen said.

Holding an AFSL subjects Coinbase to the same standards of conduct, disclosure, governance and consumer protection that apply to traditional financial services providers, marking a significant milestone in Australia’s push to establish a dedicated regulatory framework for digital assets.

Licensing legislation takes effect 12 months after assent

The Corporations Amendment (Digital Assets Framework) Bill 2025 passed both houses of the Australian Parliament on April 1. The bill is now waiting for royal assent, the final step before becoming law. It’s set to take effect 12 months after assent.

“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,” O’Loghlen said.

In February, crypto executives, including O’Loghlen, told Cointelegraph that Australia’s crypto market is making progress in user growth and regulatory reforms, but there are still a range of issues to iron out.

Crypto exchange Independent Reserve’s Cryptocurrency Index estimates that 33% of Australians have exposure to cryptocurrency, up from 31% in 2025, among a population of more than 27.7 million. It also found that a growing number of people are using crypto to pay for goods and services compared with the year before.

Coinbase is expanding in Australia with new hires

Along with its AFSL license, Coinbase said it has been expanding its local team with senior hires across legal, compliance, marketing and operations, drawing from other regulated industries.

Related: Australia fines local Binance unit $6.9M over client onboarding failures

In September, Coinbase and crypto exchange competitor OKX introduced services for self-managed superannuation funds in Australia, giving individuals new ways to add crypto to the country’s retirement savings system.

Australia’s total superannuation assets were estimated at around 4.5 trillion Australian dollars ($3.1 trillion) by the end of the third quarter of 2025. 

Magazine: ‘Phantom Bitcoin’ checks, Drift hack linked to North Korea: Asia Express