The expansion of Ripple into Australia comes at a time when the country is developing clearer crypto regulations. Lawmakers recently advanced the Digital Asset Framework Bill, while the Australian Securities and Investments Commission has proposed rules that could require crypto platforms to obtain an Australian Financial Services License.

Ripple’s Fiona Murray hopes these regulatory changes could also help address the country’s ongoing crypto “debanking” problem. Several major banks — including Commonwealth Bank, Australia and New Zealand Banking Group, National Australia Bank, and Westpac — have placed restrictions on transfers to crypto exchanges, creating barriers for adoption across the industry.

As part of its global regulatory strategy, Ripple has been rapidly expanding its licensing footprint across major financial hubs. Over the past year, the company secured payment licenses in Singapore, the United Arab Emirates, and the United Kingdom, while also gaining conditional approval for a national trust banking charter in the United States.

The firm has also expanded its ecosystem through acquisitions designed to boost adoption of XRP and its Ripple USD stablecoin. One notable move was acquiring Hidden Road, now rebranded as Ripple Prime, making Ripple the first crypto-native company to operate a multi-asset prime brokerage serving institutional clients across digital assets, derivatives, and foreign exchange markets.

Ripple is set to secure a major regulatory foothold in Australia through the acquisition of BC Payments Australia, a payments firm tied to the Banking Circle Group. The deal will grant Ripple access to the company’s Australian Financial Services License, which will soon be required for certain crypto firms offering financial services in the country.

According to Ripple’s Asia-Pacific managing director Fiona Murray, the move reflects growing institutional demand for digital assets. With the license in place, Ripple Payments will be able to manage the full lifecycle of transactions in Australia — from onboarding and compliance to liquidity management and final payouts — while integrating traditional banking systems with blockchain-based assets.