Best crypto exchange Australia: 2 AUSTRAC-registered picks

The best crypto exchange in Australia is one that is registered with AUSTRAC under an Australian company you can name, charges fees you understand and has a clean track record. Of the exchanges we review, two meet the first test on AUSTRAC’s public register: Kraken, through Bit Trade Pty Limited, and Coinbase, through Coinbase Australia Pty Ltd. Below we explain how the two compare, how Australian crypto regulation works, and how to check any cryptocurrency exchange yourself before you deposit Australian dollars.

Best crypto exchange in Australia: our two picks

Kraken is our first pick for Australian residents because it has the lower entry fees and the wider coin range of the two exchanges we could confirm on AUSTRAC’s register. Coinbase is the alternative if you prefer a large, publicly listed company and are willing to pay more per trade.

Across their global platforms, both let you buy, sell and trade Bitcoin and hundreds of other tokens, and both have a simple app interface for instant purchases plus a separate order-book interface with more trading tools. Other exchanges, such as Swyftx, also appear on AUSTRAC’s register, but we don’t review them, so we don’t rank them.

Fees are from each provider’s main fee data, checked on 23 October 2026. Local AUD pricing can differ.

Kraken: buy, sell and trade with lower fees

Kraken is a crypto exchange founded in 2011 and run by Payward. In Australia its company is Bit Trade Pty Limited, which appears on AUSTRAC’s public register with the trading names Kraken Digital Asset Exchange, Kraken Exchange and Payward Australia, and which Kraken lists as AUSTRAC-registered on its own disclosures page. Australian dollars are among the currencies Kraken lists.

Kraken offers a simple app to buy and sell cryptocurrency plus Kraken Pro, an order book for traders who want limit orders, more tools and lower fees. It publishes a Merkle-tree proof of reserves checked by an independent accountant.

The catch: Kraken Pro’s entry-tier fees rose in July 2026, from 0.25% maker and 0.40% taker to 0.40% and 0.80%. In the United States, Kraken paid $30 million in 2023 to settle SEC charges over its staking programme. Read our Kraken review and the Kraken fee breakdown for more detail.

Coinbase: a listed company with higher fees

Coinbase is a crypto exchange that has been publicly listed since April 2021, with a simple app to buy and sell crypto and an order book called Coinbase Advanced. Its Australian company, Coinbase Australia Pty Ltd, appears on AUSTRAC’s public Remittance Sector Register.

The catch: Coinbase is the more expensive of the two on the order book, with entry fees of 0.60% maker and 1.20% taker. In 2025, criminals bribed offshore support staff to obtain data on about 69,000 customers, and Coinbase has paid several regulatory fines elsewhere, including a $100 million settlement with New York’s financial regulator in 2023. See our Coinbase review for the full picture.

How crypto exchanges are regulated in Australia

Crypto exchanges in Australia are supervised by two bodies: AUSTRAC for anti-money laundering rules and ASIC when a crypto product counts as a financial product. AUSTRAC registration is the baseline; it is not a licence to sell investments, and it doesn’t protect you against losses.

AUSTRAC registration for virtual asset service providers

AUSTRAC, the Australian Transaction Reports and Analysis Centre, has regulated the exchange of virtual assets for money under the Anti-Money Laundering and Counter-Terrorism Financing Act 2006 since 2018. Recent reforms renamed “digital currency exchange providers” as virtual asset service providers (VASPs) and added new services to the rules, such as services that swap one crypto for another, safekeeping and transfers.

A virtual asset service provider must enrol and register through AUSTRAC Online and can’t start offering those services until AUSTRAC approves the registration. Under transitional rules, a company that only offers the newly regulated services and applied before 29 July 2026 can keep operating until AUSTRAC decides. Registration means KYC checks, record keeping and reporting duties, not investor protection.

ASIC and when crypto is a financial product

ASIC steps in when a digital asset is a financial product. According to its information sheet INFO 225, that depends on the rights the asset gives and how it is offered: Bitcoin is unlikely to be a financial product, while some stablecoins are likely to be non-cash payment facilities. Where a product is a financial product, services such as dealing in it or holding it in custody can need an Australian financial services (AFS) licence, and Australian law applies when a digital asset is promoted or sold in Australia, including from offshore.

At ASIC’s last update, the government was consulting on draft law to make digital asset platforms and tokenised custody platforms a new type of financial product. That was a proposal, not law, so check ASIC’s digital assets pages for the current status. For the bigger picture, see our explainer on crypto regulation.

How to check an Australian cryptocurrency exchange before you sign up

Check the company, not the brand. Exchanges often run through several companies, and only the one that opens your account matters, so don’t rely on a logo or a claim on the website.

Lowest fees crypto exchange in Australia: how to compare costs

The lowest-fee crypto exchange in Australia depends on how you buy. Order-book fees, app spreads and deposit and withdrawal charges all add up, and the headline percentage is only one part.

Compare these four costs:

• Maker and taker fees. A maker order waits in the order book (a limit order); a taker order fills straight away (a market order). Taker fees are usually higher. Our guide to trading fees explains both.
• The spread on instant buys. App “buy” buttons often build a spread into the price on top of a fee. Kraken charges 1% on direct app buys plus a variable spread.
• Deposit fees. Check what the exchange charges to fund your account in Australian dollars, by bank transfer, card or another payment method. Don’t assume deposits are free.
• Withdrawal fees. Check both the AUD withdrawal fee and the crypto withdrawal fee, for example to move Bitcoin to your own wallet.

Here is what the published fees mean on a A$1,000 order. These use each provider’s main fee data, not an Australian price list, so the local entity’s pricing can differ:

So on our numbers, a A$1,000 market order on Kraken Pro costs A$4 less than on Coinbase Advanced. Coinbase’s figures come from our EU-focused provider data, and Coinbase shows the exact fee and spread in the order preview before you confirm. Both exchanges lower fees as your 30-day trading volume grows.

Exchanges we don’t list for Australia

We only rank an exchange when we can confirm an Australian registration from our provider data or an official register. That rules out several big names for now.

• Gemini closed its Australian accounts on 6 April 2026, after a withdrawal-only period from 5 March 2026, so Australian customers no longer have access.
• Binance, OKX, Bybit and Crypto.com didn’t appear on AUSTRAC’s Remittance Sector Register when we searched, and our provider data has no Australian registration for them. That doesn’t mean they are unregistered, only that we couldn’t confirm it.
• Bitget lists an AUSTRAC registration on its licence page, but we couldn’t match it to a named Australian company.

Leverage, derivatives and other risks

Cryptocurrency prices can fall sharply, and you can lose all the money you put in. Only invest money you can afford to lose, and think about your wider financial situation first. If an exchange offers futures, margin or other leveraged products, know that most retail traders lose money with them, and check whether the company holds an AFS licence for those products.

Security is partly your job too. Keep your account secure with a unique password and two-factor authentication, never share your recovery details, and be wary of anyone who contacts you to “help” with an exchange account. For tax questions, check with the Australian Taxation Office; we don’t cover Australian tax rules.

How to start trading and buy cryptocurrency in Australia

Starting takes three steps once you’ve checked the registration: create an account, verify your identity and fund it in Australian dollars. Then buy Bitcoin or another cryptocurrency with a limit order if you want the lower maker fee.

Our view for readers in Europe

If you live in the EU, an Australian registration doesn’t help you: in Europe, crypto exchanges need a MiCA licence. See our Netherlands guide for how we rank MiCA-licensed exchanges, and our methodology for how we score providers. Answers to frequently asked questions about Australian crypto exchanges follow below.