Overview
- The regulator, which announced the move on Friday, June 26, 2026, pushed the no-action relief deadline from June 30 to September 30, 2026 to give digital asset firms more time to apply for licences.
- The extension covers applicants for Australian Financial Services licences, Australian Market licences and clearing and settlement facility licences and now explicitly includes businesses operating through authorised representatives or intermediary arrangements.
- Firms must notify ASIC, attend a pre-application meeting and meet the conditions set out in the updated class no-action letter to qualify for the temporary protection.
- The High Court’s unanimous Block Earner ruling and ASIC’s October 2025 INFO 225 guidance underpin the move by confirming that many crypto products can already meet existing financial product definitions under the Corporations Act.
- About 30 licence applications have been received since INFO 225 was revised and observers warn of a timing risk because the relief ends in September 2026 while the new statutory regime with DAP and TCP authorisations starts on April 9, 2027, which could expose unlicensed operators to enforcement in the intervening months.