Yes. Nothing in the rules we read bans residents from buying, holding or trading crypto, and the state’s approach is to register, license and tax the businesses and people involved.

Any business that offers crypto exchange or other virtual asset services in Australia must be registered with AUSTRAC before it starts, the regulator says, and the register became public on 30 June 2026. The old label was digital currency exchange. In 2026 Australia adopted the wider term virtual asset service provider, which AUSTRAC says brings custody, brokerage and other services under its rules. The tax authority treats crypto as a capital gains tax asset, not money, and applies no special tax rules to it. A second layer is coming: the Digital Assets Framework Act passed in April 2026 and will bring trading and custody platforms under financial services licensing. The sections below cover who holds a registration, what each regulator does and how gains are taxed.

Which crypto exchanges work in Australia?

Eight of the exchanges we track hold an AUSTRAC registration: Coinbase, Kraken, OKX, Binance, KuCoin, Bitget, Gate and Crypto.com. Bitstamp, Bitfinex, MEXC and HTX also serve residents with no Australian registration on file.

Registration is the entry ticket, not an endorsement: it covers anti-money-laundering duties. A financial services licence from ASIC is a separate and heavier permission that applies when a product is a financial product, as derivatives are. AUSTRAC’s register can be searched by name or company number, and the search returns at most 200 records, so we quote no total number of registered firms.

Table of eight exchanges registered with AUSTRAC. Coinbase: AUSTRAC registered, ASIC licence held, derivatives retail, asic-licensed; Kraken: AUSTRAC registered (100575789), ASIC licence held, derivatives wholesale clients only; OKX: AUSTRAC registered, ASIC licence held, derivatives through its afs licensee; Binance: AUSTRAC registered (100576141-001), derivatives licence cancelled, derivatives closed since april 2023; KuCoin: AUSTRAC registered, no ASIC licence on file, derivatives not offered; Bitget: AUSTRAC registered, no ASIC licence on file, derivatives asic says unlicensed; Gate: AUSTRAC registered, no ASIC licence on file, derivatives not offered; Crypto.com: AUSTRAC registered, ASIC licence held, derivatives closed.

Coinbase serves Australia as Coinbase Australia Pty Ltd, which holds ASIC licence AFSL 569752 with a retail derivatives authorisation. Kraken trades through Bit Trade Pty Ltd, registered with AUSTRAC, and sells derivatives only to wholesale clients through the licensed broker Beaufort Fiduciaries. OKX operates OKX Australia Pty Ltd for spot trading and routes derivatives through OKX Australia Financial, licence AFSL 379035. Binance is registered as InvestbyBit Pty Ltd, but ASIC cancelled the licence of its derivatives arm in April 2023. KuCoin registered in November 2025, Gate serves residents through Gate Information Pty Ltd, and Crypto.com and Bitget are registered too. A registration does not make every product legal to sell: ASIC warned in July 2025 that Bitget’s futures are unlicensed.

Best crypto platforms for Australian residents

By our access score, Coinbase and KuCoin (9.0 out of 10 each) and Gate (8.5) are the exchanges most open to Australian residents, Jupiter, Lighter, PancakeSwap and Uniswap (8.0 each) are the most open DeFi platforms, and no prediction market is open to new positions.

The score rates how fully an Australian resident can use each platform, not its fees or safety. It is computed from our data and moves when a row changes: access status (4 points), the share of the platform’s products open here (3), the Australian licences we hold on file (2) and what our geo-access test saw from an Australian address (1). Platforms that refuse Australian residents are not scored. The full method is on our methodology page.

Exchanges

  1. Coinbase

    Best for An ASIC-licensed local company with retail derivatives

    9.0/10
    Access
    4/4
    Products
    3/3
    Licences
    1/2
    Our test
    1/1

    Pros

    • Coinbase Australia Pty Ltd holds AFSL 569752
    • Its licence includes retail derivatives

    Cons

    • We hold no Australian source for its staking
    Read our Coinbase report

  2. KuCoin

    Best for Local fiat on-ramps on a registered exchange

    9.0/10
    Access
    4/4
    Products
    3/3
    Licences
    1/2
    Our test
    1/1

    Pros

    • Registered with AUSTRAC since November 2025
    • Offers Australian fiat on-ramps

    Cons

    • No ASIC licence on file
    Read our KuCoin report

  3. Gate

    Best for A registered local entity for spot

    8.5/10
    Access
    4/4
    Products
    3/3
    Licences
    1/2
    Our test
    0.5/1

    Pros

    • Gate Information Pty Ltd is registered with AUSTRAC

    Cons

    • No ASIC licence on file
    • Our test logged a region notice
    Read our Gate report

  4. Bitfinex

    Best for Spot access without a local company

    8.0/10
    Access
    4/4
    Products
    3/3
    Licences
    0/2
    Our test
    1/1

    Pros

    • Australia is not a prohibited jurisdiction in its terms

    Cons

    • No AUSTRAC registration on file
    Read our Bitfinex report

  5. Bitstamp

    Best for Plain spot trading

    8.0/10
    Access
    4/4
    Products
    3/3
    Licences
    0/2
    Our test
    1/1

    Pros

    • No Bitstamp document excludes Australia

    Cons

    • No AUSTRAC registration or ASIC licence on file
    Read our Bitstamp report

  6. HTX

    Best for Spot access without a local company

    8.0/10
    Access
    4/4
    Products
    3/3
    Licences
    0/2
    Our test
    1/1

    Pros

    • Australia is not on its restricted lists

    Cons

    • No AUSTRAC registration on file
    Read our HTX report

  7. Kraken

    Best for Spot trading with a registered local company

    8.0/10
    Access
    3.5/4
    Products
    2.5/3
    Licences
    1/2
    Our test
    1/1

    Pros

    • Bit Trade Pty Ltd is registered with AUSTRAC
    • Spot trading is open to residents

    Cons

    • Derivatives are for wholesale clients only
    • Opt-in Rewards and xStocks are not offered
    • Ordered to pay A$8 million in December 2024 over margin extension
    Read our Kraken report

  8. MEXC

    Best for Spot access without a local company

    8.0/10
    Access
    4/4
    Products
    3/3
    Licences
    0/2
    Our test
    1/1

    Pros

    • Australia is not on its prohibited-jurisdictions list

    Cons

    • No AUSTRAC registration on file
    Read our MEXC report

  9. OKX

    Best for Spot trading with a registered local company

    7.5/10
    Access
    3.5/4
    Products
    2.5/3
    Licences
    1/2
    Our test
    0.5/1

    Pros

    • OKX Australia Pty Ltd is registered with AUSTRAC
    • Derivatives run through an AFS licensee

    Cons

    • Derivatives and CeFi services are restricted here
    Read our OKX report

  10. Binance

    Best for Spot trading only

    7.4/10
    Access
    3.5/4
    Products
    1.9/3
    Licences
    1/2
    Our test
    1/1

    Pros

    • InvestbyBit Pty Ltd is registered with AUSTRAC
    • Australia is not on its prohibited list

    Cons

    • Derivatives closed after ASIC cancelled the licence in 2023
    • Its derivatives arm was ordered to pay A$10 million in March 2026
    Read our Binance report

  11. Bitget

    Best for Spot trading on a registered exchange

    7.3/10
    Access
    3/4
    Products
    2.3/3
    Licences
    1/2
    Our test
    1/1

    Pros

    • Registered with AUSTRAC for exchange services

    Cons

    • ASIC warned in July 2025 that its futures are unlicensed
    • Says its services are not intended for Australian residents
    Read our Bitget report

  12. Crypto.com

    Best for Spot trading in the app, with a registered company

    7.3/10
    Access
    3.5/4
    Products
    1.8/3
    Licences
    1/2
    Our test
    1/1

    Pros

    • Registered with AUSTRAC and licensed by ASIC, per its licence page

    Cons

    • No derivatives for Australia
    • On Crypto.com's derivatives geo-restrictions list
    Read our Crypto.com report

DeFi

  1. Jupiter

    Best for Solana swaps from your own wallet

    8.0/10
    Access
    4/4
    Products
    3/3
    Licences
    0/2
    Our test
    1/1

    Pros

    • Australia is not in its terms

    Cons

    • No Australian registration on file
    Read our Jupiter report

  2. Lighter

    Best for Perpetuals on its main app

    8.0/10
    Access
    4/4
    Products
    3/3
    Licences
    0/2
    Our test
    1/1

    Pros

    • Australia is not named in its terms

    Cons

    • No Australian registration on file
    Read our Lighter report

  3. PancakeSwap

    Best for BNB Chain swaps and pools

    8.0/10
    Access
    4/4
    Products
    3/3
    Licences
    0/2
    Our test
    1/1

    Pros

    • Australia is not excluded by its terms

    Cons

    • No Australian registration on file
    Read our PancakeSwap report

  4. Uniswap

    Best for Swapping tokens from your own wallet

    8.0/10
    Access
    4/4
    Products
    3/3
    Licences
    0/2
    Our test
    1/1

    Pros

    • Its terms bar only places under comprehensive US sanctions

    Cons

    • No Australian registration on file
    Read our Uniswap report

  5. Aster

    Best for Perpetuals and spot trading

    5.9/10
    Access
    3/4
    Products
    1.9/3
    Licences
    0/2
    Our test
    1/1

    Pros

    • Perpetuals and spot are not barred

    Cons

    • Prediction trading is barred under its prediction user agreement
    Read our Aster report

  6. Hyperliquid

    Best for Perpetuals from your own wallet

    5.9/10
    Access
    3/4
    Products
    1.9/3
    Licences
    0/2
    Our test
    1/1

    Pros

    • Perpetuals and spot are not excluded by its terms

    Cons

    • Outcome markets are hidden for Australia
    Read our Hyperliquid report

Which platforms block Australian users?

Four platforms refuse Australian residents in their own terms or notices: the exchanges Bybit and Gemini and the prediction markets Polymarket and Kalshi.

Gemini is the exit worth knowing. It closed every Australian account on 6 April 2026, completing a withdrawal it announced in February, and its sign-up page refused us in October. Bybit added Australia to its excluded jurisdictions in terms effective 16 October 2026, and its home page still loaded in our test two days earlier. Polymarket lists Australia as close-only, so existing positions can be closed but no new ones opened, and the regulator separately asked internet providers to block the site.

Platforms that refuse Australian residentsPick one to see what its terms say
PlatformStatusTypeWhat the terms sayAustralian option
BybitRestrictedExchangeAdded to Bybit’s excluded jurisdictions in terms effective 16 October 2026–
GeminiRestrictedExchangeAll Australian accounts closed on 6 April 2026; its sign-up page refused us in October 2026–
PolymarketRestrictedPrediction marketClose-only: existing positions can be closed, no new ones opened–
KalshiRestrictedPrediction marketOn Kalshi’s restricted-jurisdictions list–

Source: platform terms and notices, verified 17 October 2026. What each site showed us is in the next section.

What our geo-access test saw from Australia

From an Australian address on 14 and 16 October 2026 we loaded all 22 platforms we track: 2 refused us, 3 showed a notice and 17 loaded with no barrier.

An open page is not permission. Bybit loaded before its new terms took effect on 16 October, and MEXC and HTX loaded with Australia on neither company’s restricted lists. Gemini refused us outright and Polymarket’s geoblock check returned blocked while its home page still loaded. Three notices were not refusals in the usual sense: Kalshi said prediction markets are not available, Gate logged a notice that we were visiting from the Australian region, and OKX sent us to its local site, OKX Australia. Swipe through the screenshots below; each card quotes what the page showed.

What each platform showed us from hereScreenshots from our geo-access test, 14 Oct 2026 and 16 Oct 2026. Scroll sideways or use the arrows.
Sign-up page of Gemini loaded from Australia: Australia, closed with the UK and the EEA on 6 April 2026

BlockedGemini · Sign-up page

Australia, closed with the UK and the EEA on 6 April 2026

“Gemini does not currently operate in Australia.”

16 Oct 2026 · HTTP 200

Home page of Polymarket loaded from Australia: Australia, on Polymarket's close-only list: the home page loaded with no barrier while the geoblock check answered blocked

BlockedPolymarket · Home page

Australia, on Polymarket's close-only list: the home page loaded with no barrier while the geoblock check answered blocked

14 Oct 2026 · HTTP 200 · Polymarket located us in Australia

Sign-up page of Kalshi loaded from Australia: Australia, added to the list days after the international launch: perps-only notice at sign-up

Notice shownKalshi · Sign-up page

Australia, added to the list days after the international launch: perps-only notice at sign-up

“Prediction markets are not available.”

16 Oct 2026 · HTTP 200

Home page of OKX loaded from Australia: OKX Australia, where derivatives and CeFi services are restricted

Notice shownOKX · Home page

OKX Australia, where derivatives and CeFi services are restricted

“OKX Australia”

14 Oct 2026 · HTTP 200

Home page of Binance loaded from Australia: Australia, where only derivatives are closed: the home page loaded with no barrier

No barrierBinance · Home page

Australia, where only derivatives are closed: the home page loaded with no barrier

14 Oct 2026 · HTTP 202 · Binance located us in Australia

Home page of Bybit loaded from Australia: Australia, added to Bybit's excluded list on 16 October 2026: the home page loaded on 14 October, two days before

No barrierBybit · Home page

Australia, added to Bybit's excluded list on 16 October 2026: the home page loaded on 14 October, two days before

14 Oct 2026 · HTTP 200

Home page of Coinbase loaded from Australia: Australia: the local Coinbase Australia page loaded with no barrier

No barrierCoinbase · Home page

Australia: the local Coinbase Australia page loaded with no barrier

14 Oct 2026 · HTTP 200

Home page of Gate loaded from Australia: Australia: the home page loaded with no barrier, and the scan logged a notice that we were visiting from the AU region

No barrierGate · Home page

Australia: the home page loaded with no barrier, and the scan logged a notice that we were visiting from the AU region

16 Oct 2026 · HTTP 200

Home page of HTX loaded from Australia: Australia: the home page loaded with no barrier

No barrierHTX · Home page

Australia: the home page loaded with no barrier

16 Oct 2026 · HTTP 200

Trading app of Jupiter loaded from Australia: Australia: no banner, no notice

No barrierJupiter · Trading app

Australia: no banner, no notice

16 Oct 2026 · HTTP 200

Home page of Kraken loaded from Australia: Australia: derivatives only for wholesale clients

No barrierKraken · Home page

Australia: derivatives only for wholesale clients

14 Oct 2026 · HTTP 200

Home page of MEXC loaded from Australia: Australia: the home page loaded with no barrier

No barrierMEXC · Home page

Australia: the home page loaded with no barrier

16 Oct 2026 · HTTP 200

CRYPTORESTRICTIONS

Who regulates crypto in Australia?

AUSTRAC registers and supervises crypto businesses for money-laundering risk, ASIC licenses financial products and the platforms that sell them, the ACMA enforces gambling law, and the ATO sets how crypto is taxed.

Timeline in five lanes. AUSTRAC, 3 June 2025: Crypto ATM limits (A$5,000 cash cap). AUSTRAC, 8 May 2026: Sector campaigns (36 OTC, 27 exchanges). AUSTRAC, 30 June 2026: VASP register public (Replaces DCE list). Parliament and ASIC, 8 April 2026: Digital assets Act (Platform licensing law). Parliament and ASIC, 30 June 2026: Relief ends (INFO 225 no-action). Parliament and ASIC, 9 April 2027: Licensing starts (Platforms and custody). ASIC action, 27 March 2026: Binance penalty (A$10m, Federal Court). ASIC action, 3 August 2026: Prediction markets (None licensed). ACMA, 13 August 2025: Polymarket blocked (ISP block request). ACMA, 19 August 2026: Gambling reform bill (Passed by Parliament). ACMA, 1 January 2027: Reforms start (Most take effect). Tax, 26 June 2026: CGT discount Act (Ends 1 July 2027). Tax, 15 October 2026: CARF draft (Consultation to 28 Oct).

  • AUSTRAC. It has regulated crypto exchanges since 2018, and on 8 May 2026 it opened two supervision campaigns: 36 firms offering over-the-counter crypto to cash services and 27 local exchanges. In June 2025 it capped cash deposits and withdrawals at crypto ATMs at A$5,000 and refused to renew one operator’s registration. Its actions page lists registrations cancelled or suspended, among them Cryptolink Pty Ltd, suspended on 9 August 2026.
  • ASIC. Its updated guidance says stablecoins, wrapped tokens, tokenised securities and digital asset wallets can be financial products. Firms had until 30 June 2026 to apply for a licence under a no-action position, and relief for distributing certain stablecoins remains in place. Enforcement so far: Bit Trade, which runs Kraken, was ordered to pay A$8 million in December 2024, and Binance Australia Derivatives was ordered to pay A$10 million in March 2026 after misclassifying 524 retail clients as wholesale.
  • Parliament. The Digital Assets Framework Act (Act No. 38 of 2026) was introduced on 26 November 2025, passed on 1 April 2026 and received assent on 8 April 2026. It defines digital asset platforms and tokenised custody platforms and gives ASIC the power to license them. ASIC’s roadmap says the Act commences on 9 April 2027 and sets an 18-month implementation, with licence applications opening in months 12 to 18 and full ASIC supervision after that.
  • ACMA. It enforces the Interactive Gambling Act, covered in the prediction-markets section.
  • ATO. The tax authority, covered in the tax section.

Which crypto products are limited in Australia?

Derivatives are the most limited product: Binance closed them after ASIC cancelled its licence, Crypto.com does not offer them, Kraken sells them to wholesale clients only, and OKX runs them through a separate licensee.

Status matrix of four products across eleven platforms that serve Australian residents, where the platform offers the product. Spot trading: Coinbase available, Kraken available, OKX available, Binance available, Bitget limited, KuCoin available, Gate available, Crypto.com available, Bitstamp available, Hyperliquid available, Aster available. Derivatives: Coinbase not confirmed, Kraken limited, OKX limited, Binance restricted, Bitget not confirmed, KuCoin not confirmed, Gate not confirmed, Crypto.com restricted, Bitstamp not confirmed, Hyperliquid available, Aster available. Staking: Coinbase not confirmed, Kraken not confirmed, OKX not confirmed, Binance not confirmed, Bitstamp not confirmed, Hyperliquid not confirmed, Aster not confirmed. Prediction markets: Coinbase not confirmed, Crypto.com not confirmed, Hyperliquid restricted, Aster restricted.

  • Derivatives. ASIC’s rules turn on who the client is. Coinbase’s licence includes a retail derivatives authorisation. Kraken’s derivatives sit with the licensed broker Beaufort Fiduciaries and are for wholesale clients, and ASIC says Bitget’s futures are unlicensed. OKX’s terms for retail access through OKX Australia Financial took effect on 6 October 2026.
  • Rewards. Kraken does not offer Opt-in Rewards or xStocks to Australian residents. We hold no Australian source for staking on the other platforms.
  • Cash. Crypto ATM operators face the A$5,000 cash limit from June 2025, and AUSTRAC expects exchanges that accept cash to consider similar limits.
  • Stablecoins. ASIC’s relief for distributors of certain stablecoins and wrapped tokens stays in place during the move to the new licensing law.

Not through any licensed route. ASIC says no prediction market operator is licensed as a financial market in Australia, the ACMA asked internet providers to block Polymarket, and every prediction market we track restricts Australia.

Status of four platforms with prediction markets for Australia: Polymarket restricted (blocked at the ACMA’s request, close-only), Kalshi restricted (on its restricted-jurisdictions list), Hyperliquid restricted (outcome markets tab hidden in our test), Aster restricted (prediction trading barred by its rules). Beside it, the number of illegal gambling sites the ACMA has had blocked since November 2019: 1,296 on 13 August 2025 and 1,822 on 24 September 2026, 526 more in 13 months. No prediction market is licensed in Australia according to ASIC’s Moneysmart site on 3 August 2026, the ACMA asked internet providers to block Polymarket on 13 August 2025, and the Interactive Gambling Amendment (Gambling Reform) Act passed on 19 August 2026 with most reforms starting on 1 January 2027.

ASIC’s Moneysmart page (3 August 2026) describes event contracts as sharing characteristics with binary options, warns that users of unlicensed overseas platforms cannot reach dispute resolution or client money safeguards, and points readers to the ACMA’s list of blocked gambling websites. The Interactive Gambling Act 2001 makes it illegal to offer some online gambling services to people in Australia, including sports betting services without an Australian licence. The ACMA asked internet providers on 13 August 2025 to block Polymarket, and by 24 September 2026 it had blocked 1,822 illegal gambling and affiliate sites since November 2019. Parliament passed the Interactive Gambling Amendment (Gambling Reform) Bill 2026 on 19 August 2026, with most reforms starting on 1 January 2027 and stronger powers to take down illegal services. Neither the ACMA nor ASIC page we read names Kalshi.

On the platform side, Polymarket lists Australia as close-only and Kalshi lists it among its restricted jurisdictions. Hyperliquid hid its outcome markets tab in our test and Aster bars prediction trading under its prediction rules.

How is crypto taxed in Australia?

The ATO taxes crypto held as an investment as a capital gains tax asset: a gain is taxed at your income tax rate, halved if you held the asset for at least 12 months. From 1 July 2027 a new law replaces that halving with an inflation adjustment.

Column chart of Australian resident income tax rates for 2025-26 by slice of taxable income: nil up to A$18,200, 16% from A$18,201 to 45,000, 30% from A$45,001 to 135,000, 37% from A$135,001 to 190,000 and 45% above A$190,000, with the 2% Medicare levy on top and the 16% slice falling to 15% from 1 July 2026. Key facts: a 50% CGT discount applies after holding a crypto asset for 12 months, a crypto asset is exempt from CGT as a personal use asset when it was acquired for less than A$10,000, records must be kept for 5 years, and staking rewards are ordinary income at their market value when received.

The ATO says a sale, gift, swap for another coin, conversion to currency or purchase of goods with crypto is a CGT event (22 June 2026). Net capital losses cannot be deducted from other income, and each coin is a separate asset. The 50% discount needs 12 months of ownership and Australian residency. A gain on a personal use asset bought for less than A$10,000 is exempt, but the page says that rarely applies to crypto held as an investment or swapped to currency first, and losses on such assets are ignored. Staking rewards are ordinary income at their market value when received, and that value becomes the cost base. Businesses may treat crypto as trading stock instead.

The rates on the chart are the resident rates for 2025-26 (page of 13 August 2026), before the 2% Medicare levy, and the 16% slice drops to 15% for 2026-27. The reform is already law: Act No. 49 of 2026 received assent on 26 June 2026 and replaces the discount with cost base indexation and a 30% minimum tax rate on capital gains accruing on and after 1 July 2027. The ATO notes the change does not apply to tax time 2026. Reporting is tightening too: the ATO’s crypto data-matching program compares tax returns with data from exchanges, and Treasury opened draft legislation on 15 October 2026, open until 28 October, to bring the OECD Crypto-Asset Reporting Framework into Australian law. Working out your own position takes four steps:

Working out your crypto tax in AustraliaFor an individual, from the ATO crypto pages
StepDetail
Decide investor or businessInvestors are taxed on capital gains, businesses may treat crypto as trading stock
Value every transaction in Australian dollarsEach coin is its own asset, so each needs its own cost base and proceeds
Apply the 12-month testHold for at least 12 months and the 50% discount applies to gains accrued before 1 July 2027
Report and keep recordsDeclare gains in your tax return and keep records for 5 years from the latest of the relevant dates

Source: ATO, crypto asset investments, checked 17 October 2026.