Australia Launches Public VASP Register as Travel Rule to Take Effect

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Australia’s financial intelligence agency has made its virtual asset service provider (VASP) register public, allowing consumers and businesses to check whether a company is registered with AUSTRAC before using it.

Published on June 30, the register covers providers regulated in Australia and is intended to improve transparency, identify legitimate operators and reduce exposure to money laundering, terrorism financing, and other serious crime. Businesses must register before offering covered services, including crypto-to-fiat and crypto-to-crypto exchange, virtual asset custody, customer transfers, and financial services connected to virtual asset sales.

AUSTRAC can suspend, cancel, or refuse to renew registrations where a provider presents an “unacceptable” financial crime risk. It can also cancel the registration of businesses that are no longer providing virtual asset services.

The launch comes as Travel Rule obligations apply to newly regulated virtual asset services from July 1, following a period of transition. Providers involved in transfers must collect and verify information about the payer, collect key recipient details, and pass required information through the transfer chain. Compliance records generally need to be retained for seven years.

Australian exchange users may therefore be asked for additional sender, recipient, platform, or wallet information when depositing or withdrawing virtual assets. A separate reporting requirement for transfers involving unverified self-hosted wallets remains deferred until March 31, 2029.

The measures are part of Australia’s ongoing digital asset framework reforms, with legislation also bringing digital asset and tokenized custody platforms into the country’s financial services licensing regime.