Australia’s ASIC to Regulate Digital and Tokenized Asset Custody Under Framework Starting April 2027

ASIC is signalling that custody of tokenized assets will be treated as a regulated activity rather than a peripheral fintech experiment, which matters for platforms already holding client assets and for institutions weighing Australian market entry. The long lead time before the framework begins, paired with a consultation process that is still ahead, means the substantive rules remain unwritten and could shift. Whether the final scope captures only custodians or extends to adjacent service providers is the open question worth watching.