November
Binance boss urges crypto investors to keep the faith after price rout
It’s been a turbulent couple of years for the crypto exchange, including jail time for its founder, but the chief executive says compliance is improving.
Why you must ‘innovate or stagnate’ as the market transforms
Tokenised securities are being embraced by market players from Nasdaq to Westpac and will allow share trades to settle within minutes, not days.
Inside a Russian crypto guru’s Hollywood gambit
How the alleged mastermind of a multimillion-dollar crypto scam teamed up with a globe-trotting influencer and a disgraced Oscar winner as he pushed his latest dubious project.
Inside the crypto underworld enabling ‘unlimited’ crime
From gritty backrooms in Kyiv to gleaming towers in Dubai, a parallel banking system turning crypto into cash is operating in anonymity and ripe for abuse.
October
ASIC clarifies which crypto products need to be licensed
Commissioner Alan Kirkland said the new guidance should provide clarity for companies seeking to innovate around digital assets.
Boman-backed fintech Openmarkets seeks $77m to fund DeFi push
Openmarkets has hit the pavement to fund its decentralised finance strategy and push into key markets across Asia and the United States.
September
Crypto exchanges to be required to hold financial services licences
Assistant Treasurer Daniel Mulino said the federal government will release draft laws that will require crypto platforms to hold a licence.
Ex-NAB bankers awarded Australia’s first stablecoin licence
ASIC has approved a stablecoin issuer – Macropod, backed by Mark Carnegie’s crypto firm – for the first time.
August
‘Extreme euphoria’ in crypto catapults ether towards record
Just a few months ago, ethereum was considered a “dead” blockchain. Now it’s cryptocurrency is nearing an all-time high off the back of huge institutional buying.
July
Why the US could become the ‘crypto capital of the world’ this week
Bitcoin hit a $US120,000 high as the passage of US cryptocurrency bills loomed, reigniting fears the regulatory fixes will unfairly boost Trump family ventures.
These art collectors have lost $250k on NFTs. They still love them
Four years ago, demand for digital art embedded in a blockchain was off the scale. But while bitcoin is still surging, non-fungible tokens are struggling.
CBA teams up with JP Morgan for blockchain-led funding market trials
The lender is one of three major banks to sign on to the RBA’s trial of a central bank digital currency and settlement systems that could speed up transactions.
June
The digital currency quietly taking over the global financial system
In an era where economic statecraft increasingly involves payment systems and financial sanctions, control over monetary infrastructure carries geopolitical weight.
May
Ex-Blockchain Global director sought over $20m debt
ASIC accused Liang “Allan” Guo of failing in his director duties during his eight-year stint at the collapsed company.
March
Labor reveals its plan to regulate crypto
Crypto exchanges will have to meet the same basic governance requirements as banks under a long-delayed policy to regulate the local sector.
February
Money laundering watchdog puts 50 Australian crypto exchanges on notice
The Australian Securities and Transactions Analysis Centre is concerned some Australian cryptocurrency exchanges are failing to report suspicious transactions.
January
Coalition channels Trump and says it will be a ‘friend’ of crypto
Luke Howarth, the Coalition’s financial services spokesman, said Labor’s failure to legislate rules had left ASIC calling the shots in the industry.
The top six business trends for 2025
Here are six themes we expect to make news in 2025, from professional services to crypto and artificial intelligence across offices, boardrooms and suburbs.
December 2024
ASIC’s attempts to clarify crypto rules confuses digital exchanges
Independent Reserve, BTC Markets and Kraken say new guidance and industry calls have not provided any clarity about whether they will need to obtain licences.
November 2024
A bitcoin convention in Sydney rings crypto alarm bells
Bitcoin is up almost 130 per cent this year and the US election result put a rocket under crypto. But there are still plenty of ways to lose money in an (unregulated) bull market.