Australian regulators ease regulations on stablecoin intermediaries

PANews reported on September 18th that, according to Decrypt, the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) has granted a regulatory exemption to stablecoin intermediaries, allowing them to distribute cryptocurrencies issued by licensed Australian institutions without having to hold a separate financial services license. The exemption, published Thursday, states that intermediaries distributing stablecoins issued by Australian Financial Services (AFS) licensed issuers no longer need to apply for separate AFS, market, or clearing facility licenses. This measure, effective upon registration of federal legislation, is a significant step forward in addressing Australia's regulatory challenges in the stablecoin market.

Blockchain APAC CEO Steve Vallas stated that this move is a temporary transition before broader reforms and is consistent with financial services law. The exemption does not change the determination of whether stablecoins are financial products, but simply "suspends the secondary licensing requirement for distributors of licensed issuers," allowing distribution through licensed channels while maintaining issuer liability and requiring intermediaries to provide product disclosure statements to ensure transparency.