Global trading platform Pepperstone has chosen Australia as the launch market for its new proprietary spot cryptocurrency exchange, positioning the rollout as an effort to reset pricing transparency in the domestic crypto trading sector.

The move comes after the company analysed trading conditions across the 160 countries in which it processes around US$6 billion in monthly crypto CFDs, ultimately identifying Australia as the most suitable first market due to what it describes as structural pricing inefficiencies and limited competition.

Pepperstone’s internal analysis found the Australian crypto market is characterised by opaque pricing structures, where headline fees often mask significantly higher total trading costs once…