The Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) granted 290 new AFS licences in the last financial year, between 1 July 2024 and 30 June 2025, while cancelling or suspending another 215 of these licences.Although the regulator did not detail the firms obtaining or losing these licences, contracts for difference (CFD) brokers need an AFS licence to operate in Australia.Join IG, CMC, and Robinhood in London’s leading trading industry event!A Productive Year for ASIC’s Licensing RegimeAlong with the AFS licences, the agency also approved 104 new credit licences while cancelling or suspending 253 of them.According to the Australian regulator, it received 1,531 licensing and registration applications in the last fiscal year, out of which it finalised 1,176 applications for new and varied AFS and credit licences. It approved 450 AFS and credit licence variation applications.There was a 10 per cent yearly increase in new AFS licence applications. However, the number of cancelled or suspended AFS licences dropped by 20 per cent.[#highlighted-links#]The regulator highlighted that it decided on 77 per cent of new AFS licence applications and 76 per cent of AFS licence variation applications within 150 days.“Our licensing team plays an important role in assessing applications for licences and professional registration across the financial services and credit sectors,” said ASIC Commissioner Alan Kirkland.Covering CryptosMeanwhile, ASIC has also mandated that crypto companies obtain a licence from it to operate in the country. Last month, the Aussie regulator clarified how existing financial laws apply to digital assets.“Applications from digital asset operators are on the rise, underscoring the growing interest in the crypto sector,” Kirkland said. “Following our recent update of Information Sheet 225 confirming that a range of digital assets are financial products, we expect to see more digital asset providers apply for an AFS licence.”While licence control remains a duty for the regulator, another priority has been fighting rampant financial scams and fraud. It took down 6,900 investment scam and phishing websites in the year ended 30 June.This article was written by Arnab Shome at www.financemagnates.com.