AFS licence in Australia

About This Company

An Australian Financial Services Licence provides the statutory authorisation for domestic financial activities under the Corporations Act 2001. Permitted activities covered by this licence type include execution of orders on behalf of clients, portfolio management, investment advice, order transmission, and proprietary trading. Legal authority stems from the Corporations Act 2001, which took effect on 2001-07-15, alongside the ASIC Act 2001. Territorial boundaries stop at the Australian national border because this domestic authorisation does not passport into foreign jurisdictions. The buyer checks the Professional Registers maintained by ASIC by entering the entity name, ABN/ACN, or licence number to inspect active conditions and authorised representatives. ASIC Connect functions as a separate registry system for verifying company and business-name registration details. Ownership changes crossing 50% voting capacity or half the issued share capital require notification under s.910B and s.912DA within 30 business days. Sydney accommodates the operational headquarters of ASIC, established in 1998. New applicants observed no statutory processing timeframe, though ASIC determined 77% of fresh licence filings and 76% of variation files within 150 days in FY2024-25 between 1 July 2024 and 30 June 2025.