Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC): register, licences and requirements
ASIC is Australia's integrated corporate, markets, financial-services and credit regulator. It licenses and supervises holders of an Australian financial services licence (AFSL) and an Australian credit licence (ACL), and registers companies, auditors and liquidators. In FY2024-25 it granted 290 new AFS licences and 104 new credit licences. From April 2027 it will also license digital asset platforms.
How to check a firm on the ASIC register
Search the Professional Registers by entity name, ABN/ACN, or licence number to see whether an AFS licence or Australian credit licence is currently held; an active entry shows licence status, conditions and any authorised representatives. ASIC Connect covers company and business-name registration status separately.3
At a glance
| Official name | Australian Securities and Investments Commission |
|---|---|
| Jurisdiction | Australia |
| Type | Integrated financial regulator |
| Headquarters | Sydney1 |
| Founded | 19981 |
| Website | asic.gov.au2 |
| Public register | Official public register3 |
| Licence types in the Atlas | 2 |
What ASIC supervises
ASIC is Australia's integrated corporate, markets, financial services and consumer credit regulator; it licenses and supervises companies, financial services and credit providers, and markets, and works to maintain and improve the performance of the financial system.2
- Financial services providers holding an Australian financial services licence (advice, dealing, market making, custody, crowdfunding, superannuation trustee and claims-handling services)10
- Consumer credit providers, brokers and intermediaries holding an Australian credit licence11
- Registered companies, managed investment schemes and corporate collective investment vehicles2
- Financial markets, market operators and professional standards (auditors, liquidators, SMSF auditors)2
- From commencement of the Digital Assets Framework Act on 2027-04-09, digital asset platforms and tokenised custody platforms, which will need an ASIC financial-services licence12
Licences ASIC issues
Lesser-known services for applicants
Pre-application meeting / pre-assessment
ASIC's Innovation Hub gives free informal assistance to eligible fintech/regtech businesses (startups, scaleups, or firms licensed under 12 months): submit a Word-form request describing the business and the help needed; ASIC typically replies within a week and may offer a meeting within 2-3 weeks. It gives no legal or financial advice and no endorsement.4
Innovation hub
The Innovation Hub is ASIC's dedicated fintech/regtech contact point, combining the informal-assistance service with information on the regulatory sandbox and other guidance for innovative financial and credit businesses.5
Regulatory sandbox
The Enhanced Regulatory Sandbox (ERS), a statutory exemption in force since 1 September 2020, lets eligible individuals and businesses test certain innovative financial services or credit activities for up to 24 months without holding an AFS or credit licence, while still meeting conduct and disclosure obligations as if licensed. As of the current register, 3 firms hold active exemptions: Waratah Payments Pty Ltd (to July 2028), Canvas Digital Pty Ltd (to May 2028) and ContraCapital Pty Ltd (to April 2028).6
Application portal: ASIC Regulatory Portal (regulatoryportal.asic.gov.au): used to lodge and manage AFS and credit licence applications and notifications (e.g. change-in-control notices)7
Fee schedule: ASIC's Information Sheet 30 and the Schedules of Corporations/Credit Fees list which lodgements attract fees; AFSL and ACL application fees are indexed each 1 July by CPI, but the current dollar figures render as dynamic placeholders on ASIC's site and could not be read by a scripted fetch (see open_questions).8
Compare with other regulators: pre-application meetings · sandboxes and innovation hubs.
Statistics
- 1,531 AFS/credit licensing and registration applications received and 1,176 finalised in FY2024-25 (1 July 2024 - 30 June 2025)9
- 290 new AFS licences and 104 new credit licences granted, plus 450 AFS/credit licence variations approved, in FY2024-259
- 215 AFS licences and 253 credit licences cancelled or suspended in FY2024-259
- 3 firms hold active Enhanced Regulatory Sandbox exemptions on ASIC's current ERS page: Waratah Payments Pty Ltd (to July 2028), Canvas Digital Pty Ltd (to May 2028), ContraCapital Pty Ltd (to April 2028)6
Fees and timelines
| Licence | Statutory deadline | Observed |
|---|---|---|
| Australian financial services licence (AFSL) | n/a | No fixed statutory decision deadline; ASIC's own service charter reports it decided 77% of new AFS licence applications, and 76% of AFS licence variation applications, within 150 days in FY2024-25 (1 July 2024 - 30 June 2025).9 |
Changing the owner of a licensed firm
Notification only. Change of control is triggered when a person gains or ceases capacity to cast, or control the casting of, more than 50% of votes at a general meeting, or holds more than half the issued share capital, of an AFS licensee (Corporations Act s.910B). The licensee must notify ASIC of the change, via the Regulatory Portal, no later than 30 business days after the change occurs (s.912DA).13
Buying a company that already holds one of these licences is often faster than applying. See ready-made licensed companies · investment brokerage · lending credit.
Laws ASIC applies
- Corporations Act 2001: Act No. 50, 2001 (Cth), registered compilation C2026C00382
Recent and upcoming changes
- 2026-04-08: Corporations Amendment (Digital Assets Framework) Act 2026 (No. 38 of 2026) received assent, creating an ASIC financial-services-licence regime for digital asset platforms and tokenised custody platforms, commencing 2027-04-09.14
- 2026-06-30: deadline for digital-asset businesses to apply for a new or varied AFS licence under updated INFO 225 guidance before ASIC's transitional no-action position on unlicensed digital-asset financial services expires.15
Contacts and public register
Address: Level 5, 100 Market Street, Sydney NSW 2000 (postal address: GPO Box 9827, Melbourne VIC 3001)16
Website: asic.gov.au2
Check whether a firm is licensed: official register3 · official register3.
Frequently asked questions
What does ASIC license?
ASIC issues the Australian financial services licence (AFSL), needed to give financial advice, deal in financial products, run a managed investment scheme, or provide custodial services, and the Australian credit licence (ACL), needed to provide or arrange consumer credit. It also registers companies, auditors and liquidators. In FY2024-25 it granted 290 new AFS licences and 104 new credit licences.
How long does an AFS licence application take?
There is no fixed statutory deadline; processing depends on complexity and the quality of the application. ASIC's own reporting shows it decided 77% of new AFS licence applications within 150 days in FY2024-25, with the remainder taking longer, especially for novel business models.
Does ASIC offer a regulatory sandbox for fintechs?
Yes. The Enhanced Regulatory Sandbox is a statutory exemption, in force since September 2020, letting eligible businesses test certain financial services or credit activities for up to 24 months without an AFSL or ACL, while other conduct and disclosure rules still apply. Only a handful of firms use it at any time; 3 held active exemptions as of the current register.
Will crypto platforms need an ASIC licence?
Yes, from 9 April 2027. The Corporations Amendment (Digital Assets Framework) Act 2026 brings digital asset platforms and tokenised custody platforms into the AFS licensing regime. Businesses providing digital-asset financial services now had to apply for a new or varied AFS licence by 30 June 2026 to rely on ASIC's transitional no-action position.
How do I check if a business holds an ASIC licence?
Search ASIC's Professional Registers by entity name, ABN/ACN or licence number to confirm whether an AFS licence or credit licence is current, see any conditions, and see authorised representatives. Company and business-name status is checked separately via ASIC Connect.
What happens if control of an AFS licensee changes?
The licensee, not ASIC, must act: if a person gains or loses more than 50% of votes or shares in the licensee, the licensee must notify ASIC through the Regulatory Portal within 30 business days of the change. ASIC does not pre-approve the change itself.
Sources
- en.wikipedia.org: Australian Securities and Investments Commission · secondary · retrieved 2026-09-24
- asic.gov.au · retrieved 2026-09-24
- asic.gov.au: search asic registers · retrieved 2026-09-24
- asic.gov.au: informal assistance for fintechs and regtechs · retrieved 2026-09-24
- asic.gov.au: innovation hub · retrieved 2026-09-24
- asic.gov.au: enhanced regulatory sandbox ers · retrieved 2026-09-24
- regulatoryportal.asic.gov.au · retrieved 2026-09-24
- asic.gov.au: schedules of corporations fees · retrieved 2026-09-24
- asic.gov.au: asic updates on key licensing and professional registration · retrieved 2026-09-24
- asic.gov.au: afs licensees · retrieved 2026-09-24
- legislation.gov.au: latest · retrieved 2026-09-24
- asic.gov.au: asics roadmap for digital assets law reform implementation · retrieved 2026-09-24
- asic.gov.au: change in control of afs licensee · retrieved 2026-09-24
- legislation.gov.au: text · retrieved 2026-09-24
- asic.gov.au: deadline looms for digital asset businesses to apply for a l · retrieved 2026-09-24
- asic.gov.au: asic offices · retrieved 2026-09-24
Applying to ASIC, or buying a firm it licenses?
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