Australia Launches Special Regulatory Campaign Targeting the Cryptocurrency Industry; AUSTRAC Focuses on OTC Traders and Local Trading Platforms

According to Decrypt, Australia’s financial intelligence agency AUSTRAC has launched two targeted regulatory initiatives against the virtual asset industry, focusing on anti-money laundering (AML) and counter-terrorism financing (CTF) risk management practices of relevant businesses. These initiatives cover 36 cryptocurrency-to-fiat over-the-counter (OTC) trading operators and 27 domestic cryptocurrency exchanges. Australia’s new regulations have expanded oversight from traditional cryptocurrency exchanges to Virtual Asset Service Providers (VASPs), including custodial and brokerage services. The Travel Rule for virtual asset transfers will become mandatory on July 1.