Australia’s banks have continued to block exchange payments as crypto adoption hits record levels.

Nearly one in three Australian crypto investors (30 per cent) have had their payments to exchanges blocked or delayed by banks, in a sign of growing friction between traditional finance and the booming digital asset market. 

Yet Australians are refusing to be stopped: crypto adoption has surged to a record high, with 33 per cent now owning digital assets (up from 31 per cent on 2025), according to the latest Independent Reserve Cryptocurrency Index (IRCI).

“The findings suggest that banks have not relaxed their posture toward crypto, and they may be refining how they apply controls. Rather than focusing on the size of the…