Australia

Structural Regulation

Australia Defends Contentious Capital Gains Tax Overhaul

By Editors | 22/05/2026

Treasurer Jim Chalmers says the budget measures will fix a “broken” housing market and improve fairness, despite criticism from investors and political opponents.

Cryptocurrency

ASIC Licenses Crypto Firm Block Earner Despite Ongoing Court Battle

By Sanday Chongo Kabange | 22/05/2026

ASIC has granted a crypto firm its first credit licence, even as it continues to sue the company in the nation's highest court over a separate product.

Anti-Money Laundering

AUSTRAC Orders External Audit of NSW Club Over AML Weaknesses

By Sanday Chongo Kabange | 21/05/2026

AUSTRAC has ordered a major Sydney club operator to appoint an external auditor amid concerns over money laundering controls for poker machines.

Structural Regulation

Australia Overhauls Foreign Investment Rules to Fast-Track Low-Risk Deals

By Sanday Chongo Kabange | 20/05/2026

The government has announced reforms to streamline approvals for low-risk investments while increasing scrutiny over sensitive sectors and national security risks.

Market Data & Technology

APRA to Publish Separate Data on Cyber, Management Liability Insurance

By Sanday Chongo Kabange | 20/05/2026

The regulator is consulting on a new format for its national insurance database, proposing to publish key product line data separately.

Structural Regulation

ASIC Details Progress on Multi-Year Regulatory Simplification Drive

By Sanday Chongo Kabange | 20/05/2026

The regulator has outlined key achievements in reducing compliance burdens and plans for further digital transformation and cross-agency collaboration.

Conduct, Culture & Accountability

APRA Disqualifies Former Xinja Chair Under Accountability Regime

By Sanday Chongo Kabange | 20/05/2026

The six-year ban follows an investigation into undisclosed ‘side agreements’ that misrepresented the failed neobank’s capital position, marking the third such action against its former executives.

Structural Regulation

Australia Orders Chinese Investors to Divest Rare Earths Stake

By Sanday Chongo Kabange | 20/05/2026

The order is the latest in a series of government interventions to protect a critical minerals company from foreign control on national security grounds.

Reporting & Disclosures

ASIC Sets Financial Reporting, Audit and Sustainability Focus for 2026–27

By Sanday Chongo Kabange | 19/05/2026

ASIC will focus on asset impairment, auditor independence, and the first wave of sustainability reports in its upcoming surveillance activities for the new financial year.