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ASIC's INFO 225 distinguishes native proof-of-stake staking from 'staking-as-a-service' / managed staking arrangements, with the latter more likely to constitute a financial product, and the Reserve Bank of Australia's Project Acacia has facilitated regulatory relief for wholesale tokenisation testing. DeFi lending/borrowing classification remains fact-dependent and unaddressed definitively by the regulator. No dedicated Australian regime specifically targets crypto mining, standalone node operation, validator services, or DEX operation as distinct categories; these are assessed, if at all, under the same functional financial-product test.
Open gap — crypto-int-2No AU-specific statutory treatment of staking, DeFi lending or DEX operation was identified this cycle; such activities remain unassessed against the general financial-product test.emerging on-chain activity classes structurally under-sourced
No sub-brief written this cycleThe module carries open gaps but no narrative analysis was authored this cycle. Flagged for the next research pass.
no periodic updates on record for this sub-brief
Sources and findings (4)
- T1 · ASICASIC — Updated INFO 225 adds worked examples distinguishing native proof-of-stake staking from managed staking/staking-as-a-service arrangements, with the latter more likely to be treated as a financial product.retrieved M4non-binding
- T1 · ASICASIC — ASIC's guidance does not comment on when participation in a DeFi lending or borrowing arrangement requires a licence, leaving this dependent on the facts and the person's role in the arrangement.retrieved M3non-binding
- T1 · ASICASIC — ASIC provided practical regulatory relief in 2025 to facilitate the Reserve Bank of Australia's Project Acacia, a research project enabling real-world testing of tokenised asset transactions and digital money.retrieved M3bindingin force
- primary source not yet reachedM2non-bindingour coverage gap, expected to resolve on a re-run