We regulate certain business activities, known as designated services.
Designated services are regulated because they’re recognised as posing a risk for money laundering, terrorism financing and proliferation financing (known as ML/TF risks).
If you provide one or more designated services that have a geographical link to Australia, you are a reporting entity.
Reporting entities have anti-money laundering, counter-terrorism financing and counter-proliferation financing (AML/CTF) obligations.
Reporting entities
A reporting entity is any individual, business or organisation that provides designated services.
You’re a reporting entity because you provide one or more designated services, not because of the type of business or organisation you are.
If you aren’t sure if the services or products you provide are designated services, you should get independent advice.
Businesses with AML/CTF obligations from 1 July 2026
From 1 July 2026, AML/CTF obligations apply to certain services typically provided by the following businesses:
- real estate professionals – such as real estate agents, buyer's agents and property developers
- conveyancers
- dealers in precious metals, stones and products
- lawyers
- accountants
- trust and company service providers.
These businesses can enrol with us from 31 March 2026.
Additional virtual asset-related services will also be regulated.
Learn about these designated services at:
- Real estate designated services
- Professional services (conveyancers, lawyers, accountants and trust and company service providers)
- Precious metals, stones and products services
- Virtual asset services.
Existing businesses with AML/CTF obligations
Businesses that provide certain services in the financial, bullion and gambling sectors have AML/CTF obligations.
The list of designated services on this page is not exhaustive. For a full list of designated services, see Tables 1 to 6 of Section 6 of the Anti-Money Laundering and Counter-Terrorism Financing Act 2006 (the Act).
Many designated services in the financial sector are provided only by authorised deposit-taking institutions (ADIs) such as banks, building societies and credit unions. These services include:
- account and deposit taking services
- issuing cheque books
- issuing debit cards
- accepting electronic funds transfer instructions (EFTIs), or instructions to transfer funds overseas.
Other designated services in this sector are provided by ADIs and other financial service providers. These include business activities related to:
- remittance services (money transfers)
- exchanging digital currency (for example cryptocurrency) for money, or exchanging money for digital currency
- loans or finance (including hire purchase)
- investments or securities
- life insurance and sinking fund policies
- superannuation fund management (except self-managed superannuation funds)
- foreign currency exchange
- issuing travellers cheques
- issuing money or postal orders with values of A$1000 or more
- issuing (not just selling) stored value cards such as travel cards and retail gift cards with values of A$5000 of more, or A$1000 or more if they can be withdrawn in cash
- custodial and depository services (including safe deposit boxes)
- preparing payroll for other businesses
- providing pensions or annuities or retirement savings account services
- financial advisory services provided by the holder of an Australian Financial Services Licence (AFSL) where the service is arranging for clients to receive a designated service
- specialised financial services involving forfaiting, bills of exchange, promissory notes, letters of credit, factoring, derivatives, foreign exchange contracts, bearer bonds, finance leases or similar.
Examples of businesses in the financial services industry include:
- virtual asset service providers (for example cryptocurrency exchanges)
- financial institutions (known as authorised deposit-taking institutions) such as:
- banks
- building societies
- credit unions
- financial planners
- foreign currency exchange providers
- investment services providers
- life insurance companies
- remittance service providers (money transfer businesses)
- superannuation fund managers or providers.
Bullion is metal used for trading, usually gold, silver, platinum or palladium, authenticated to a specified fineness.
Buying and selling bullion are both designated services.
Bullion dealers typically provide these services.
- Gambling services include:
- betting accounts and services
- exchanging gaming chips, tokens or currency
- paying out winnings, or awarding a prize, in respect of a game or bet
- games of chance, or a mix of chance and skill that are played for money (not including lotteries, raffles or bingo games)
- gaming machines (such as poker machines).
- Examples of businesses that provide gambling services include:
- betting agencies or bookmakers
- casinos
- pubs, clubs and hotels (usually as providers of electronic gaming machines).
What else defines a reporting entity
In legal terms, a reporting entity must be a ‘person’. In this context, person means a legal entity, not necessarily an individual. A reporting entity can be:
- an individual (including a sole trader)
- a company (such as a private company, a public company, a listed company, and/or a foreign company)
- a trust (such as a discretionary family trust or a unit trust)
- a partnership (either incorporated or unincorporated)
- an unincorporated association
- a corporation sole
- a body politic.
Non-profit and not-for-profit organisations can be reporting entities.
When the Act describes designated services, it often uses the term ‘carrying on a business’. The Act uses a broad definition of this phrase and includes business activities whether they are conducted on a regular, repetitive or continuous business.
So even if you only provide a designated service occasionally, you may still be considered to be carrying on a business under the Act.
A reporting entity must meet the geographical link test.
Learn more about the geographical link requirement.
Check if you need to enrol or register
You can answer questions in our check if you need to enrol or register checker to find out if you provide designated services that have a geographical link to Australia.
If you’re a reporting entity you must enrol with us.
If you’re a remittance service provider or virtual asset service provider, you need to enrol and apply for registration.
Related pages
This guidance sets out how we interpret certain Australian legislation, along with associated Rules and regulations. Australian courts are ultimately responsible for interpreting these laws and determining if any provisions of these laws are contravened.
The examples and scenarios in this guidance are meant to help explain our interpretation of these laws. They’re not exhaustive or meant to cover every possible scenario.
This guidance provides general information and isn't a substitute for legal advice. This guidance avoids legal language wherever possible and it might include generalisations about the application of the law. Some provisions of the law referred to have exceptions or important qualifications. In most cases your particular circumstances must be taken into account when determining how the law applies to you.