- Every exchange serving Australians must be on AUSTRAC’s register of virtual asset service providers. All ten exchanges in our table were on it on 7 October 2026.
- Some also hold an Australian financial services (AFS) license or act as authorised representative of a licensee. That license covers specific financial products, not necessarily the trading of bitcoin. From April 2027 digital asset platforms need an AFS license.
- Fees for a simple purchase range from no separate fee (spread only) to 1% plus spread; order-book trading starts at about 0.1%.
- We found no guarantee or compensation scheme for crypto held at an exchange. Complaints can go to AFCA only if the provider is a member.
This page compares the crypto exchanges that serve residents of Australia and explains how to check one; the rules behind it are on regulation. We do not rank or recommend any exchange, and there are no affiliate links. Fees change often: the figures below are what each exchange published on its own pages on 7 October 2026. Registration and licensing come from AUSTRAC’s register and ASIC’s licensee data.
Who may serve you
Any business that provides digital currency exchange or other virtual asset services must be registered with AUSTRAC. An AFS license from ASIC is needed when a firm deals in crypto products that are financial products, and from April 2027 for operating a digital asset platform. These are the main exchanges for Australian consumers, with the legal entity on AUSTRAC’s register and their ASIC status in ASIC’s AFS licensee and authorised representative datasets, both checked on 7 October 2026:
| Exchange | Legal entity (AUSTRAC register) | AUSTRAC | ASIC (AFS license or authorised representative) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Binance Australia | Investbybit Pty Ltd (ACN 621 652 579) | Registered | Authorised representative 001320012 of AFS licensee 545925, since 4 March 2026 |
| BTC Markets | BTC Markets Pty Ltd (ACN 164 093 887) | Registered | Authorised representative 001297122 of BTCM Payments Limited (AFS license 525840), since 3 June 2022 |
| Coinbase | Coinbase Australia Pty Ltd (ACN 654 922 442) | Registered | AFS license 569752, since 2 April 2026 |
| CoinJar | CoinJar Australia Pty Ltd (ACN 648 570 807) | Registered | Authorised representative 001290193 of AFS licensee 404131, since 12 July 2021 (CoinJar says this relates to its card) |
| CoinSpot | Casey Block Services Pty Ltd (ACN 619 574 186) | Registered | AFS license 562554, since 29 April 2026 |
| Crypto.com | Foris DAX AU Pty Ltd (ACN 640 692 735) | Registered | Authorised representative 001286462 of AFS licensee 467462, since 8 April 2021 |
| Independent Reserve | Independent Reserve Pty Ltd (ACN 164 257 069) | Registered | No entry found for this entity |
| Kraken | Bit Trade Pty Limited (ACN 163 237 634) | Registered | Authorised representative 001312156 of AFS licensees 545124 (since 28 October 2024) and 448066 (since 16 January 2026) |
| OKX Australia | OKX Australia Pty Ltd (ACN 636 269 040); also OKX Australia Financial Pty Ltd | Both registered | OKX Australia Pty Ltd: authorised representative 001318306 of AFS licensees 246705 and 536984. OKX Australia Financial Pty Ltd: AFS license 379035 (derivatives) |
| Swyftx | Swyftx Pty Ltd (ACN 623 556 730) | Registered | AFS license 568543, since 3 July 2026 (Swyftx says its spot exchange services are not provided under this license) |
AUSTRAC’s register does not show a registration date. An AFS license or an authorised representative appointment is limited to the financial products named in it; in ASIC’s data these are mostly non-cash payment products (such as some stablecoins or payment features) and derivatives. Other consumer platforms we found on AUSTRAC’s register include Cointree, Digital Surge, Gemini Australia, Bitget (BTGT AUS Pty Ltd) and KuCoin AU (Axis One Markets Pty Ltd).
Not in the register
A search of AUSTRAC’s register on 7 October 2026 found no entry under the names Bybit, Bitstamp, Bitpanda, MEXC or HTX. That does not by itself mean they serve Australians; it means an Australian resident would not be dealing with a registered provider under those names. The search for “Bybit” only found Investbybit Pty Ltd, which trades as Binance Australia.
Fees compared
The table shows what each exchange’s own fee page said on 7 October 2026, for a normal customer at the lowest fee level. “Simple buy” is the buy button in the app; “order book” is the trading screen (maker / taker). A spread is the difference between the buying and selling price and is an extra cost on top of the fee. “Not found” means we could not find or read the figure on the exchange’s own pages; several exchanges blocked automated access or load their fees only in a browser.
| Exchange | Simple buy | Order book (maker / taker) | AUD deposit | AUD withdrawal | Coins to your own wallet |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Binance Australia | Not found | 0.10% / 0.10% (0.075% with its BNB discount) | Not found | Not found | Not found |
| BTC Markets | Quick Buy/Sell: no separate fee, a spread is included in the price | 0.85% at the lowest volume, falling to 0.10% (AUD and USDT pairs, same rate for maker and taker) | Free | Free | Yes, fixed fee per coin (0.0002 BTC for bitcoin) |
| Coinbase | Fee plus spread, shown before each trade; rate not found | Not found | Not found | Not found | Yes, network fee |
| CoinJar | 1% (2% by card) | 0.10% / 0.10% (AUD pairs, incl. GST) | Free by PayID or bank transfer; PayPal 0.5% | Free | Yes, dynamic fee per coin |
| CoinSpot | 1% (instant buy, sell and swap) | 0.1% (market orders) | Free by PayID or direct deposit; cash 2.5% | Free to a bank account; 2% to PayPal | Yes, flat network fee shown in the wallet |
| Crypto.com | Not found | Not found | Not found | Not found | Not found |
| Independent Reserve | Not found | Not found | Not found | Not found | Not found |
| Kraken | 1% on instant and recurring trades (1.5% on custom orders), plus spread | 0.40% / 0.80% (lowest tier) | Not found (depends on method) | Not found (depends on method) | Yes, fee varies by coin |
| OKX Australia | Not found | Not found | Not found | Not found | Not found |
| Swyftx | 0.1% to 0.6% depending on 30-day volume, plus spread | No separate order book fee listed | Free by bank transfer; card up to 2.4% | Free once verified | Yes, network fee only |
A few things the table does not show:
- Kraken waives the instant-buy fee for Kraken+ members on up to USD 10,000 a month of trades in major currencies, but spreads and card fees still apply, and charges 3% to convert small balances.
- Swyftx says its spread has a base part and a part that depends on the market, and that both the spread and the fee are included in the price shown before you confirm.
- CoinJar charges a dispute fee of AUD 38.50 if you dispute a deposit with your bank.
Features compared
| Exchange | Number of assets (its own claim) | Recurring buy | Staking | Other |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BTC Markets | Not stated | Not found | Not found | Order book and Quick Buy/Sell |
| CoinJar | Not stated | Yes (1% by card) | Not found | Bundles; Mastercard card with a 1% purchase fee returned as reward points |
| CoinSpot | Not stated | Yes (1%) | Not found | OTC desk; bundles |
| Kraken | Not stated | Yes | Yes (flexible staking) | Pro order book |
| Swyftx | 420+ | Yes (automatic recurring purchases) | Not found | Not found |
We could not read enough of the pages of Binance Australia, Coinbase, Crypto.com, Independent Reserve and OKX Australia to compare their features. Staking through an exchange means the exchange or a related company holds your coins, which adds risk.
How to check a provider
- Search AUSTRAC’s public register of virtual asset service providers for the legal entity you sign up with (it is usually in the terms or the website footer). Check that it is the same company.
- Check ASIC’s professional registers to see whether that company holds an AFS license or is an authorised representative, and for which products.
- Check ASIC Moneysmart’s investor alert list; Scamwatch says a company on that list is a scam.
- Read the fee page before you deposit. Look at the spread as well as the fee, and at the cost of withdrawing coins.
ASIC’s Moneysmart says most crypto are high-risk investments and that you must be prepared to lose what you invest. A registration means a provider is supervised for money laundering; it does not make the coins safe.
AUSTRAC actions
AUSTRAC publishes the registrations it has refused, suspended, cancelled or refused to renew. In 2026 it cancelled, among others, the registrations of BA Digital Ventures Pty Ltd (4 June 2026), Self Custody Pty Ltd and Jam Xchange Pty Ltd (23 March 2026) and Coinsec Australia Pty Ltd (10 March 2026), and suspended Cryptolink Pty Ltd (9 August 2026) and Worldwide Money Transfer Pty Ltd (12 August 2026). Do not use a provider whose registration is cancelled or suspended. None of the exchanges in our table appear on that list.
If an exchange fails
We found no guarantee or compensation scheme for crypto held at an exchange. Moneysmart warns that many crypto providers are not licensed, so you may not be protected if a platform fails or is hacked. AUSTRAC registration is about money laundering and does not protect your coins.
This changes in part from April 2027. Under the Digital Assets Framework Act, operators of digital asset platforms and tokenised custody platforms need an AFS license and must comply with asset-holding standards and transactional and settlement standards that ASIC can set. ASIC was still preparing those standards in October 2026. The ATO has a page on what happens for tax if an exchange goes into external administration; we could not open it for this review.
Coins in your own wallet do not depend on an exchange; the rules for that are on regulation.
Where to complain
- The exchange first. ASIC says AFS licensees that provide financial services to retail clients must have an internal dispute resolution procedure that meets its standards.
- AFCA. The Australian Financial Complaints Authority handles complaints only against its members. ASIC says AFS licensees serving retail clients must be AFCA members. A provider that is only registered with AUSTRAC may not be a member. Check the provider in AFCA’s member search before you rely on it; we could not read that search automatically. Coinbase Australia’s user agreement, for example, says retail clients can take an unresolved complaint to AFCA.
- Scams. If you were scammed, report it as described on regulation.
- Court. You can always start legal proceedings.
Sources
- AUSTRAC: Virtual asset service provider register (searched 7 October 2026) (last checked October 2026)
- AUSTRAC: Virtual asset registration actions (last checked October 2026)
- ASIC: Australian Financial Services Licensee dataset (October 2026 file) (last checked October 2026)
- ASIC: Australian Financial Services Authorised Representative dataset (October 2026 file) (last checked October 2026)
- ASIC: Digital assets: Financial products and services (INFO 225) (last checked October 2026)
- ASIC: ASIC’s roadmap for digital assets law reform implementation (last checked October 2026)
- Federal Register of Legislation: Corporations Amendment (Digital Assets Framework) Act 2026 (last checked October 2026)
- ASIC Moneysmart: Crypto assets (last checked October 2026)
- Scamwatch (ACCC): Investment scams (last checked October 2026)
Exchange pages (not official sources)
Fees and features come from each exchange’s own pages, checked on 7 October 2026. They are the exchange’s own statements, not checked by a regulator. The fee pages of Independent Reserve, Crypto.com and OKX Australia could not be read.
- Binance Australia: Fee schedule (last checked October 2026)
- BTC Markets: Fees (last checked October 2026)
- Coinbase Australia: User agreement (last checked October 2026)
- CoinJar: Fees and spread (last checked October 2026)
- CoinSpot: Fees (last checked October 2026)
- Kraken: Fee schedule (Australia) (last checked October 2026)
- Swyftx: Fees and pricing (last checked October 2026)
This page is general information, not financial advice. Fees and licenses change, so check the registers and the exchange’s own fee page before you open an account.