Best crypto exchanges in Australia

• 7 crypto exchanges with a verified licence or registration serve residents of Australia: 2 hold a local licence (ASIC) and 5 are registered with AUSTRAC.
• Top pick by Coinish Score: Coinbase (80/100, Editor Rating 4.1/5).
• Lowest order-book trading fee: 0.1% (CoinSpot).

Ranked by Coinish Score: half the Editor Rating for the entity that serves residents of Australia, half Market Signal. Brokers without enough verified data for a rating are placed by Market Signal and labelled; brokers with neither are listed last. How we rate

Of the 7 crypto exchanges on this list, 5 are registered with AUSTRAC (Crypto.com, Kraken, OKX and 2 more) and 2 hold a licence from the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) (Coinbase and eToro).

Base-tier spot taker fees on the order-book exchanges here run from 0.1% (CoinSpot) to 0.8% (Kraken). Apps without an order book charge a per-trade fee instead: eToro 1%.

• Search the company name on the ASIC and AUSTRAC registers (moneysmart.gov.au and austrac.gov.au).
• Check which company your contract is with. Coinbase, for example, onboards residents of Australia through Coinbase Australia Pty Ltd (ASIC licence 569752), and the name on the account-opening documents should match the list.

Yes. Crypto exchanges serving Australians must be registered with AUSTRAC (an anti-money-laundering registration, not an AFS licence).

Source: austrac.gov.au

By Coinish Score, Coinbase (80/100, Editor Rating 4.1/5), through Coinbase Australia Pty Ltd (ASIC licence 569752). Crypto.com (77) and Kraken (73) follow. The score rates the company that would serve you in Australia, so the same brand can rank differently in another country.

It's a legal requirement, not a safety rating. Providing a digital currency exchange service in Australia without being registered with AUSTRAC is an offence, and the registration sits under anti-money-laundering law.

5 of the 7 exchanges here (Crypto.com, Kraken, OKX and 2 more) are on AUSTRAC's register. The rest serve you through a company licensed by ASIC.

It doesn't protect your coins. Moneysmart, ASIC's consumer site, warns that many crypto providers aren't licensed yet, so you may not be protected if a platform fails or is hacked. That should change: new laws for digital asset platforms and tokenised custody platforms start on 8 April 2027.

Sources: austrac.gov.au, moneysmart.gov.au

Swapping one coin for another counts as selling it: the ATO treats it as a CGT event on the coin you give up, even if no dollars change hands. If you owned the asset for at least 12 months and are an Australian resident for tax purposes, the CGT discount cuts the taxable gain by 50%. The ATO notes that CGT changes announced in the 2026–27 Federal Budget don't apply to Tax Time 2026.

Coinish isn't a tax adviser: check your own situation with the tax authority or an accountant.

Sources: ato.gov.au (1), ato.gov.au (2)