The Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) has released its 2025–26 Corporate Plan, which outlines its strategic priorities to ensure a fair, strong and efficient financial system for Australians. Notably, ASIC has included tokenisation as a focus area under one of five strategic priorities that will guide its work.
(1) Improve consumer outcomes
ASIC is seeking to target issues such as credit and financial hardship, dispute resolution, scams, insurance practices and financial education through its Moneysmart platform. It will continue to disrupt investment scams, review insurance service standards and monitor compliance with internal dispute resolution obligations.
(2) Strengthen market disclosure and professional conduct
ASIC intends to enhance the quality of financial and sustainability reporting, audit practices and director conduct. It will also address greenwashing and ensure compliance with whistleblower protections and conflict-of-interest policies.
(3) Support better retirement outcomes and member services
With more Australians entering retirement, ASIC will review superannuation trustee practices, aim to improve member services and monitor advice on self-managed super funds. It will also lead consumer education campaigns to help Australians make informed retirement decisions.
(4) Strengthen operational digital and data resilience and safety
As technology, cyber and data-related risks arise, ASIC is looking to focus on building cyber resilience, AI governance and crisis preparedness. It seeks to review outsourcing arrangements, promote good practices for managing operational risks and support the development of a licensing regime for payment service providers (which is slated to include a framework for payment stablecoin issuers).
(5) Drive integrity and transparency across markets
ASIC is responding to structural changes in capital markets, including the rise of private markets and digital innovation.
ASIC identifies tokenisation as a focus area, which is the process of creating a digital representation of a real-world asset (which could take the form of intangible assets like shares or some other physical asset). The plan states:
Tokenisation is likely to have a broad impact on financial markets. We are working with other government agencies, including overseas partners, to support these innovations.
ASIC is also seeking to support the transition to digital asset reform, including plans to finalise updates to its guidance on digital assets, assist Treasury with law reform and support the Australian central bank digital currency pilot for digital financial innovation (Project Acacia).
ASIC will continue to look for opportunities to support responsible innovation in the financial sector, including through its Innovation Hub and administration of the Enhanced Regulatory Sandbox (ERS). The ERS was introduced in September 2020 to facilitate financial innovation in Australia by allowing individuals and businesses to test innovative financial services and credit activities without full licensing requirements. The Government has embraced plans to review the ERS to broaden its applicability to digital assets.
ASIC’s commitment follows major reform proposals led by the United States Securities and Exchange Commission, whose Chair Paul Atkinson has laid out a bold plan to take Wall St “on chain” and implement a range of significant policy and regulatory reforms intended to unlock technology innovation and new efficiencies in financial markets. While the ASIC’s Corporate Plan is light on detail, the inclusion of tokenisation is a signal that the regulator is paying attention to broader global trends.
You can read ASIC’s 2025-26 Corporate Plan here.
