Services and businesses AUSTRAC regulates
AUSTRAC regulates certain business activities in the financial, bullion and gambling sectors. These business activities are called designated services and have been identified because they pose a risk for money laundering and terrorism financing.
If you provide one or more designated services that have a geographical link to Australia, you are a reporting entity and have anti-money laundering and counter terrorism financing (AML/CTF) obligations. Your obligations include reporting certain business activities and transactions to AUSTRAC, record-keeping and having an AML/CTF program.
Next steps:
- Check if you need to enrol or register by answering a few questions to find out if it’s likely you offer designated services and meet the geographical link requirement.
- If you are a reporting entity you must enrol with AUSTRAC. Some reporting entities need to register with us too. Find out more about how to enrol or register with AUSTRAC.
- Find out about your obligations as a reporting entity.
Under the Financial Transaction Reports Act, we also regulate:
These individuals or businesses have different obligations to reporting entities.
Designated services
The lists on this page will give you a general idea of the designated services and kinds of businesses and organisations AUSTRAC regulates. However they are not comprehensive and do not include all designated services. The information on this page is not a substitute for legal advice.
For a full list of designated services, see Tables 1 to 4 of section 6 of the Anti-Money Laundering and Counter-Terrorism Financing Act 2006 (AML/CTF Act).
If you aren’t sure whether the services or products you provide are designated services, you should get independent advice.
Reporting entities: types of businesses or organisations that typically provide designated services
A reporting entity is any individual, business or organisation that provides designated services.
You are a reporting entity because you provide one or more designated services, not because of the type of business or organisation you are.
These lists provide examples of the types of businesses or organisations that are typically reporting entities as they usually provide designated services. These lists are not comprehensive. If you aren’t sure whether the services or products you provide are designated services, you should get independent advice.
The geographical link requirement
Reporting entities only have AML/CTF obligations for designated services if these services have a geographical link to Australia.
To have a geographical link to Australia, you must meet one of the following criteria:
- you provide a designated service at or through a permanent establishment that is located in Australia, or
- you are a resident of Australia and the designated service is provided at or through your permanent establishment that is located in a foreign country, or
- you are a subsidiary of a company that is a resident of Australia, and the designated service is provided at or through your permanent establishment that is located in a foreign country.
See The geographical link requirement for more information.
The content on this website is general and is not legal advice. Before you make a decision or take a particular action based on the content on this website, you should check its accuracy, completeness, currency and relevance for your purposes. You may wish to seek independent professional advice.