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THE FINANCEBASE List yours

Guide

How to verify that a crypto exchange is registered to operate in Australia

By TheFinanceBase Team 10 min read

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Start with the exchange’s exact legal entity, ABN or ACN, trading name and website domain—not just its brand. Search that entity in AUSTRAC’s public Virtual Asset Service Provider (VASP) Register, then confirm any required Australian financial-services authorisation in ASIC’s Professional Registers. Finally, check ASIC and Moneysmart scam alerts and repeat the checks immediately before depositing money.

A register entry is a regulatory-status check, not a guarantee that an exchange is solvent, secure, fairly priced or able to return your funds.

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What you are actually verifying

Australian crypto-exchange checks involve two different regulatory questions. First, is the business registered with AUSTRAC for covered virtual-asset services? Second, does the service also need an Australian financial-services (AFS) licence or authorised representative because it offers a financial product, dealing or advice?

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Those checks apply to the legal business operating the service. A familiar app name or logo is not enough: criminals can copy a legitimate brand, publish a look-alike domain and display a genuine company’s licence number. Your starting record should therefore contain the entity’s full legal name, ABN or ACN, trading name, website domain, physical address and every AUSTRAC or ASIC number claimed on the site.

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Step 1: Build an identity record from the exchange itself

Open the platform’s terms and conditions, privacy policy, account-opening pages and website footer. Record the information exactly as written, including punctuation and corporate suffixes such as Pty Ltd. Capture the domain you will actually use to log in, not a link supplied in an unsolicited message.

  • Legal entity: the company or other entity named as the contracting party.
  • ABN or ACN: copy the digits without assuming a number belongs to the brand you recognise.
  • Trading name: the consumer-facing name if it differs from the legal entity.
  • Website domain: include the full registered domain and check spelling carefully.
  • Address and contact details: note the Australian address, email and telephone details provided.
  • Regulatory claims: record any AUSTRAC registration reference, AFS licence number or authorised-representative claim.

If the site hides its legal entity, gives only a first name, or changes identities between its terms, support pages and payment instructions, stop before sending identification documents or money. You cannot perform a reliable registration check without a stable legal identity.

Step 2: Search AUSTRAC’s VASP Register

AUSTRAC’s public VASP Register is the primary registration check for covered crypto-exchange services in Australia. AUSTRAC says its public register lets people verify whether a provider is registered and operating under AUSTRAC oversight. A business providing covered virtual-asset services must register before offering them in Australia, according to AUSTRAC’s public-register announcement dated 30 June 2026.

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  1. Go to the current AUSTRAC VASP Register through AUSTRAC’s official website.
  2. Search the exact legal entity name from the exchange’s terms. Try the name without punctuation if the first search produces no result.
  3. Search the ABN or ACN as a second, independent identifier when the register provides that option.
  4. Compare the register entry’s legal name and identifiers with the exchange record you made in step 1.
  5. Check the status and any conditions shown for the registration.
  6. Confirm that the exchange’s domain and operating identity are consistent with the registered business. A matching company name alone is not sufficient if the website is different.

Do not treat a search for a brand name as conclusive. A brand may be a trading name, may belong to several entities, or may be copied by an unrelated site. The legal entity and identifier are the strongest match points.

Which crypto activities AUSTRAC registration covers

The relevant registration question depends on what the platform does, not on whether it calls itself an exchange. AUSTRAC’s designated virtual-asset services include:

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  • exchanging virtual assets for money;
  • exchanging one virtual asset for another;
  • arranging either type of exchange;
  • providing custody of virtual assets;
  • accepting transfers or making transfers available; and
  • certain services connected with an offer or sale of virtual assets.

List the actual functions you intend to use—such as buying with Australian dollars, swapping tokens, holding coins in an in-platform wallet or transferring assets to another person. If the provider performs a covered service for customers in Australia but cannot be found under its exact legal identity, do not assume that a different registration or an overseas company solves the mismatch.

Step 3: Check ASIC when financial-services rules may apply

AUSTRAC registration addresses anti-money-laundering and counter-terrorism-financing (AML/CTF) supervision. It does not replace any financial-services authorisation that may be required for a particular product or activity.

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Search ASIC’s Professional Registers when the platform:

  • offers a crypto-asset that is a financial product;
  • provides personal or general financial advice; or
  • deals in, arranges or otherwise provides a financial service involving a financial product.
  1. Search the legal entity in ASIC’s Professional Registers.
  2. Check whether the result is an AFS licence holder or an authorised representative.
  3. Read the permitted activities and product classes rather than stopping at the existence of a licence number.
  4. Compare the licence holder or representative’s legal name, ABN or ACN and website with the exchange’s details.
  5. Check whether the authorisation is current and whether the listed activities cover what the platform is offering you.

An AFS licence is not an endorsement by ASIC of the company, product or advice. Moneysmart expressly warns that holding an AFS licence does not mean ASIC endorses any of them. It also does not guarantee that an investment will not lose money.

Step 4: Search scam warnings and alerts

Use the ASIC/Moneysmart Investor Alert List and current ASIC scam alerts as a second screen. Search all three identity forms: the brand, the legal entity and the website domain. Also search common misspellings if the platform’s domain is easy to confuse with another site.

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A clean result is not proof of legitimacy. Alert lists are not exhaustive, and a new scam can appear before a warning is published. A positive warning, however, is a reason to stop and independently verify the identity before sharing documents, installing software or transferring funds.

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How to interpret the results

Result What it establishes What it does not establish
Matching AUSTRAC VASP entry The identified provider appears registered for AUSTRAC’s AML/CTF oversight, subject to the live register status and conditions. It does not prove solvency, custody security, fair pricing, recoverability of funds or investment performance.
Matching ASIC AFS authorisation The listed licensee or authorised representative has the activities shown in ASIC’s register. It does not mean ASIC endorses the business, product or advice, or protect you from every loss.
No match under the supplied legal identity You have not verified the provider’s registration using the information supplied. It does not by itself prove fraud; the entity name may be incomplete, misspelled or different from the trading name. Resolve the identity before proceeding.
Warning-list match A regulator or consumer-protection service has published a warning associated with the searched identity. It does not describe every risk or tell you that an unlisted provider is safe.

Use the result as a decision gate. A mismatch between the legal name, ABN or ACN and domain is more important than a polished website or a claimed licence number.

Step 5: Resolve common identity mismatches

The brand appears, but the legal entity does not

Ask the exchange, through a contact method published on its official site, which entity contracts with Australian customers. Request the exact legal name and ABN or ACN. Do not accept a screenshot as a substitute for a live register result. Search the supplied entity yourself and compare the domain.

The register shows a company but a different domain

Do not assume the domain is an approved brand. Check the exchange’s terms for the domain and the register for any available business details. If the provider cannot explain why the operating domain differs, treat the mismatch as unresolved and do not fund the account.

The company is registered overseas

An overseas incorporation does not answer whether its Australian services require local registration or authorisation. Determine which entity provides the service to Australian residents and perform the AUSTRAC and, where relevant, ASIC checks on that entity.

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The site displays an ASIC number but no matching activity

Read the permitted activities in the Professional Registers. A licence may cover some financial services but not the crypto product or advice being offered. If the activity is outside the listed authority, do not treat the number as approval for that service.

Step 6: Check live status immediately before funding

Registration information can change after you open an account. AUSTRAC can impose conditions, suspend or cancel a registration, or refuse renewal. Registrations renew every three years. ASIC licence status and authorised-representative details can also change.

Repeat the AUSTRAC search, the relevant ASIC search and the warning-list searches immediately before your first deposit and whenever you return after a long gap. Save the date, the exact entity searched and the status displayed. A dated record helps you distinguish what was visible when you made the decision from a later change.

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A practical comparison method for two exchanges

When comparing platforms, use the same fields for both. Registration status alone is not a valid comparison of fees, liquidity, custody security or financial performance.

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Comparison field Exchange A record Exchange B record
Legal entity and ABN/ACN Copy the exact values from the site and AUSTRAC result. Copy the exact values from the site and AUSTRAC result.
Website domain Check that the domain matches the operating identity. Check that the domain matches the operating identity.
AUSTRAC status and conditions Record the live status and any conditions. Record the live status and any conditions.
ASIC authorisation Record the licensee or representative and permitted activities when applicable. Record the licensee or representative and permitted activities when applicable.
Warnings Search the brand, entity and domain in ASIC/Moneysmart alerts. Search the brand, entity and domain in ASIC/Moneysmart alerts.
Contact and address consistency Compare the site, register and account-opening details. Compare the site, register and account-opening details.

Only after the identity and regulatory checks align should you separately investigate fees, spreads, withdrawal rules, wallet controls, insurance claims and the practical support available to you. Those are financial and operational questions, not consequences of being listed on a register.

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Red flags that should stop the process

  • The platform refuses to name the legal entity that contracts with Australian customers.
  • The ABN or ACN on the site belongs to a different business or cannot be matched.
  • The claimed AUSTRAC or ASIC number leads to another entity, another domain or different permitted activities.
  • Support pressures you to deposit before you finish independent checks.
  • A representative asks you to send money to a personal bank account, an unrelated company or a wallet address that changes at the last minute.
  • The site requires remote-access software, a private key or a recovery phrase to “verify” your account.
  • The domain is a close misspelling of the one you intended to use.
  • The entity or domain appears on an ASIC or Moneysmart warning list.

Do not try to overcome a red flag by making a small test deposit. A small payment can still expose your identity, banking details or access credentials, and a successful transfer does not validate the provider’s regulatory status.

What registration does—and does not—protect

AUSTRAC registration means the identified provider is within AUSTRAC’s AML/CTF registration and oversight framework for the covered services. It is not a statement that customers will be repaid if the business fails, that assets are held safely, that withdrawals will always work, or that prices and execution are fair.

An AFS licence or authorised-representative entry establishes the scope shown in ASIC’s register. It is not ASIC’s recommendation of the business, the crypto-asset or the advice. Neither register is a performance rating, credit assessment or substitute for understanding the product’s risks.

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Why an independent check matters

The National Anti-Scam Centre reported more than $837 million lost to investment scams in 2025. ASIC reported that more than 19,400 online scams were removed in 2025/26, an increase of 182% on the previous year. These figures do not measure how often register checks prevent losses, but they show why relying on an advertisement, search result or copied licence claim is unsafe.

A printable pre-deposit checklist

  1. Identify the contracting legal entity, ABN or ACN, trading name and exact login domain.
  2. Search the legal entity and identifier in AUSTRAC’s VASP Register.
  3. Confirm that the listed entity and website match and review the live status and conditions.
  4. Map the functions you will use to AUSTRAC’s covered virtual-asset services.
  5. Search ASIC’s Professional Registers if the platform offers a financial product, advice or dealing.
  6. Confirm that any ASIC authorisation covers the activity and product involved.
  7. Search the brand, legal entity and domain in the ASIC/Moneysmart Investor Alert List and current scam alerts.
  8. Record the date and results of every check.
  9. Stop if any identity, domain, licence scope or warning result remains unexplained.
  10. Repeat the checks immediately before depositing funds.

If you cannot verify the exchange

Do not open or fund the account while the identity remains unresolved. Preserve the site address, terms, messages, payment instructions and screenshots. If you have already sent money or personal information, contact your bank or payment provider immediately, secure reused passwords and report the matter through the relevant Australian scam-reporting and regulatory channels. Do not send additional money to a person promising to recover the first payment.

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