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.

The changes ensure Australia’s financial crime laws keep pace with the rapid growth of crypto and other virtual assets, closing known gaps that criminals have sought to exploit, and aligning Australia with global standards.

As part of the reforms, Australia is renaming digital currency exchange (DCE) providers to the internationally recognised…