Australia

The U.S. Treasury alleges an Australian citizen sold cyber tools originally developed for the U.S. government and its allies to a Russian firm known as Operation Zero. The agency also flagged millions tied to crypto-related tools exploiting U.S. software, raising national security and sanctions concerns.

An Australian man has been charged after police linked the NEXOpayment portal to the suspected laundering of roughly $3.5 million stolen from 190 elderly investors.

Coinbase says Australian banks’ opaque handling of crypto-related account closures has created “a crisis of confidence” in the financial system. The exchange accuses the banks of effectively imposing an unlawful ban on crypto activity by cutting access without clear rationale.

Australia’s corporate regulator says it will pursue tougher enforcement and penalties against crypto firms that sidestep licensing and critical-market infrastructure rules following the 2024 outages.

Binance Australia has reinstated direct U.S. dollar deposit and withdrawal services and real-time bank transfers, ending a disruption that lasted more than two years. The move restores fiat rails for local users and may boost trading convenience and liquidity.

DAEX has halted all trading and entered voluntary liquidation, with the appointed liquidator calling on creditors to lodge claims. Investors face uncertainty over possible recovery of funds and are urged to monitor official notices.

Australia's new framework puts exchanges and custody providers under financial services law, naming ASIC as the primary regulator. The move aims to boost consumer protections and regulatory certainty for crypto firms and investors.

KuCoin has received AUSTRAC approval and is rolling out fiat on-ramps for Australian users, enabling local deposits via bank transfers and card payments through partner rails. The move marks a notable step in the exchange's regional compliance and user-access strategy.

Grayscale is preparing to launch an XRP spot ETF, signaling renewed institutional interest in the token, while Australia’s Canary XRP ETF has recorded fresh inflows and a rise in trading activity.