Australia’s anti‑money laundering and counter‑terrorism financing (AML/CTF) laws have expanded, strengthening safeguards to make it significantly harder for criminals to launder money through crypto and other virtual assets.
The reforms introduce greater oversight of businesses operating in the virtual asset sector, which AUSTRAC continues to identify as a high money‑laundering risk.
AUSTRAC is implementing the next phase of the Australian Government’s landmark anti‑money laundering reforms, opening enrolment for new professions.
From today, 31 March, businesses - including lawyers, accountants, conveyancers, real estate professionals, and dealers in precious stones and metals - can enrol at AUSTRAC online.
Under new anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism financing (AML/CTF) laws, from 31 March businesses will either need to update their enrolment details or enrol with us for the first time.
Unsure if you’re covered by the new laws? Check if you need to enrol here.
With the new AML/CTF reforms coming into effect, current reporting entities and newly regulated businesses need to know how the transitional and amendment rules will apply in practice.
High‑quality, accurate and timely suspicious matter reports (SMR) are essential to Australia’s financial intelligence capability. The financial intelligence community relies on clear, accurate information that reporting entities provide to identify and disrupt financial crime, terrorism financing and other illicit activities.
A fugitive hiding in a remote country town.
Two overseas offenders, wanted for serious child-related offences living undetected in Queensland.
Neither case was solved through traditional policing alone. Both were resolved through financial intelligence and innovative collaboration.
Since September 2025, all cryptocurrency ATM (CATM) providers in Australia have operated with additional registration conditions to help reduce their exposure to money laundering, terrorism financing and other serious financial crimes.
The conditions require CATM providers to:
The Bondi Beach terror attack on 14 December 2025 was a shocking reminder that Australia is not immune to terrorism.
Earlier in 2025, ASIO’s Director‑General of Security, Mike Burgess, foreshadowed the evolving danger and assessed our national terrorism threat level as ‘probable’. This predicted a more than 50% chance of an attack within the next year.
We are implementing the most significant overhaul of Australia’s AML/CTF regulatory framework in a generation.
The reforms introduce new and changed obligations for existing reporting entities and extend regulation to newly regulated businesses, including legal professionals, accountants, real estate professionals and jewellers.
From 1 July 2026, new anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism financing (AML/CTF) laws will apply to designated services commonly provided by: