Australian | Crypto

Online shopping was the leading real-world use case for crypto among Australians, followed by paying for services such as freelancing and video game purchases. More Australians reported using cryptocurrency to pay for goods and services in 2026 compared to the year before, but banking friction has continued to weigh on crypto users, according to a new report by crypto exchange Independent Reserve. The annual survey of 2,000 “everyday Australians” was conducted between Jan. 12 and Jan. 30. It found that the share of Australians using crypto to buy goods or pay for services doubled from 6% to 12%, with the report suggesting “more Aussies are viewing crypto as a practical payment method rather than just a speculative bet.” Read more

Ripple APAC managing director Fiona Murray said there was sufficient institutional interest in Australia to warrant the costs of acquiring an Australian Financial Services License. Crypto company Ripple said it is set to secure a key financial services license in Australia through the acquisition of an Australian payments firm, adding to an international license grab over the last year. In a statement on Tuesday, Ripple said it will buy BC Payments Australia, a corporate entity tied to the European Banking Circle Group, allowing it access to the company’s Australian Financial Services License (AFSL), which is set to become a requirement for certain crypto companies to provide financial services in the country. The acquisition of BC Payments Australia is set to close on April 1, according to a report from The Australian, citing comments from Ripple APAC managing director Fiona Murray. Read more

Self-managed super funds are becoming a vehicle for Australians to invest in digital assets as traders search for ways to diversify their holdings. Australia's crypto market is making progress in user growth and regulatory reforms, but there are still a range of issues to iron out in the sector, crypto executives told Cointelegraph. On the sidelines of the XRP Australia 2026 event in Sydney on Friday, Coinbase APAC managing director John O’Loghlen said the country has seen positive regulatory momentum and growing expertise among those tasked with policing the industry. O’Loghlen also said institutional interest and access are growing through products like crypto exchange-traded funds. Australia’s first ETF, which holds Bitcoin (BTC) directly, went live in June 2024. An Ether (ETH) ETF followed in October 2024. Read more

The Australian Federal Police cracked a coded crypto wallet backup holding $5.9 million after a data scientist deciphered a complex numerical sequence on a phone. Australian police cracked a coded cryptocurrency wallet backup containing 9 million Australian dollars ($5.9 million). Australian Federal Police (AFP) Commissioner Krissy Barrett described the effort as “miraculous work” during a Wednesday speech, crediting a data scientist who has become known within the agency as a “crypto safe cracker.” During an investigation into a purported “well-connected alleged criminal” who stockpiled cryptocurrency by selling “a tech-type product to alleged criminals,” the AFP came across password-protected notes on his mobile phone. Upon further examination, law enforcement also identified an image containing random numbers and words, Barrett said. Read more

Amazon is investing over $13 billion in expanding AI and cloud infrastructure in Australia, including new solar farms and data centers nationwide. Online retail and cloud computing giant Amazon plans to invest more than $13 billion in Australia’s artificial intelligence and cloud infrastructure, the company announced on Saturday. Amazon plans to invest 20 billion Australian dollars ($13.4 billion) by 2029 to expand Australia’s AI and cloud capabilities, marking the country’s largest publicly announced technology investment to date by a global company. The investment will go toward expanding, operating and maintaining Amazon Web Services (AWS) data centers in the country. Read more

A judge’s ruling in a criminal case may pave the way for $640 million in tax refunds, challenging the Australian Tax Office’s long-held stance on crypto taxation. A court decision in Australia could open the door to as much as $640 million in capital gains tax (CGT) refunds on Bitcoin transactions after a judge ruled that crypto should be treated as money rather than a taxable asset.  On May 19, the Australian Financial Review (AFR) reported that the decision arose within a criminal case involving federal police officer William Wheatley, who allegedly stole 81.6 Bitcoin (BTC) in 2019. At the time, the assets were worth roughly $492,000. At current market prices, the tokens are valued at more than $13 million. In the case, Judge Michael O’Connell of Victoria ruled that Bitcoin qualifies as a form of money rather than property, likening the digital asset to Australian dollars rather than to shares, gold or foreign currency. Read more