Ripple is expanding its regulatory footprint with plans to acquire an Australian payments firm. This move will give the crypto company a key financial services license needed to operate more broadly in the country.
The company announced Tuesday that it will purchase BC Payments Australia, a corporate entity associated with the European financial group Banking Circle Group. The acquisition will provide Ripple access to an Australian Financial Services License (AFSL), a regulatory approval increasingly required for crypto firms offering financial services in Australia.
Exciting milestone for @Ripple in Australia! 🇦🇺
Ripple is obtaining an Australian Financial Services License (AFSL). As we continue to bridge TradFi with the next gen of digital infrastructure, regulatory compliance remains the foundation of everything we build:… pic.twitter.com/JNF1iQSyG7
— Ripple (@Ripple) March 10, 2026
According to a report from The Australian, the deal is expected to close on April 1. Fiona Murray said the company sees strong institutional demand for digital asset services in the region.
She noted that Australia remains a strategic market for Ripple and that securing the AFSL will help strengthen the company’s payments infrastructure locally.
Ripple expands global licensing and XRP ecosystem
Ripple’s push into Australia is part of a broader strategy to secure regulatory approvals across major markets. Over the past year, the company has obtained payment licenses in Singapore, the United Arab Emirates, and the United Kingdom, and has received conditional approval for a national trust banking charter in the United States.
At the same time, the firm has been expanding the ecosystem around its native token, XRP, and its stablecoin, Ripple USD, through strategic acquisitions.
Notably, Ripple recently acquired prime brokerage firm Hidden Road, which now operates as Ripple Prime. The purchase made Ripple the first crypto-native company to own and operate a multi-asset prime broker serving institutional clients across digital assets, foreign exchange, derivatives, and fixed-income markets.
The company also acquired the treasury management platform GTreasury to strengthen its enterprise financial services built on blockchain infrastructure.
Regulatory shifts shape Australia’s crypto market
Ripple’s move comes as Australia develops clearer regulations for digital assets. The country introduced a Digital Asset Framework bill last year, which has already passed the lower house and is currently under review in the Senate.
Meanwhile, the country’s markets regulator, the Australian Securities and Investments Commission, has proposed stricter licensing requirements for crypto platforms. The agency previously said it would delay enforcement actions on licensing matters until at least June 30, 2026.
Fiona Murray also expressed optimism that clearer licensing rules could help address the long-standing issue of crypto debanking in Australia, where major lenders, including Commonwealth Bank of Australia, Australia and New Zealand Banking Group, National Australia Bank, and Westpac, have imposed various restrictions on transactions linked to cryptocurrency exchanges.
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