Australia: 2025 Regulatory Changes & 2026 Outlook

Time to read: 4 minutes

TL:DR - Australia’s 2025 regulatory changes set the stage for major compliance shifts in 2026. Implementation of merger control, payment licensing, governance standards, AML/CTF updates, and climate reporting guidance will dominate compliance agendas.

• Key regulatory changes
• Strategic priorities and supervision (APRA & ACCC)
• 2026 Outlook
• How Ruleguard can help

• Book a tailored discovery call 

Key regulatory changes in 2025:

In 2025, Australia’s regulatory landscape experienced major shifts across competition law, financial services, prudential frameworks, payments and digital regulation.

Mandatory Merger Control Regime (Competitional Law)

One of the most significant reforms was the transition from a voluntary merger notification system to a mandatory regime. Effective 1 January 2026, acquisitions meeting specific thresholds must be notified to the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC). The ACCC will assess whether transactions substantially lessen competition, replacing a model that previously relied on voluntary disclosures and court challenges.

Enhanced Payment Oversight and Digital Asset Regulation

The Payments System Modernisation Act and associated legislation passed in 2025 extend regulatory coverage to digital wallets, stablecoins, and crypto-based payment providers within a cohesive payment oversight framework. Regulations under these laws begin taking force in 2026, including core licensing provisions for payment service providers.

Financial Services Governance Reforms

The Australian Prudential Regulation Authority (APRA) released a discussion paper in March 2025. The Paper proposed eight key governance reforms for banks, insurers, superannuation trustees, including:

• stronger board skills requirements
• enhanced fitness and proprietary tests
• conflict management rules, and
• a proposed 10-year tenure limit for non-executive directors.

Consultation responses were collected during 2025 and will inform draft standards due to be published in H1 2026.

Mandatory Climate Financial Disclosures

Australia’s new climate-related financial disclosure regime began in 2025, requiring larger entities to publicly report climate risks and strategies. ASIC will review early reports and provide industry guidance in 2026.

AML/CTF Regime Update

The Anti-Money Laundering and Counter-Terrorism Financing Act (AML/CTF Act) saw major changes finalised in 2025. New and sector-specific rules took effect from 31 March 2026. This aligns with Financial Action Task Force (FATF) standards and firms should update their compliance programmes in line with guidance from AUSTRAC.

Other regulatory developments

Additional reforms included the Online Safety Amendment banning under-16s from certain social media accounts, which took effect in December 2025.

Strategic priorities and supervision (APRA & ACCC)

APRA’s Corporate Plan 2025-26 emphasises operational resilience with the anticipated implementation of CPS 230 Operational Resilience standard. Other key priorities include: enhancing risk supervision, removing duplicative rules (such as overlaps with the financial accountability regime), and developing prudential standards for Stored Value Facility (SVF) regulation.

The ACCC’s 2025-26 compliance priorities focus on competition investigations, consumer protection, essential services markets, and implementing mandatory merger control with an aim to complete multiple in-depth investigations.

2026 Outlook:

Looking ahead, regulators are planning, or are expected to:

• Finalise APRA’s governance standards draft for consultation in Q2 2026, targeting publication of final standards later in 2026
• Implement mandatory merger control, including statutory timelines and early notification processes from 1 January 2026
• Transition payments regulators into the new licensing regime for digital payment and crypto-related providers through 2026
• AUSTRAC guidance and industry consultations on updated AML/CTF rules, and further guidance on digital assets compliance
• ASIC’s fees and cost disclosure review (RG 97), feeding into potential rule change
• Ongoing review of climate reporting uptake and guidance to firms subject to mandatory sustainability disclosures

Australia’s 2025 regulatory year built momentum for structural reforms in competition law, digital assets regulation, governance standards, and climate risk reporting. These will reshape compliance expectations across financial services and corporate sectors in 2026.

How Ruleguard can help

Ruleguard provides a GRC platform designed to help regulated firms manage the burden of evidencing and monitoring compliance. It has a range of tools to help firms fulfil their obligations across the UK, Europe and APAC regions.

Ruleguard's Regulatory Change Management Solution enables firms to manage regulatory obligations in the following ways:

1. Automated Regulatory Tracking

Ruleguard integrates with official sources such as ASIC, APRA, AUSTRAC, and ACCC to capture new regulations, guidance, and consultations. This ensures firms stay informed about changes such as:

• Mandatory merger control requirements
• Payment licensing and digital asset regulations
• Governance reforms and climate disclosure obligations

2. Impact Assessment & Mapping

The platform allows compliance teams to map new rules against internal policies, controls, and risk frameworks. For example:

• Linking APRA governance proposals to board composition policies
• Aligning AML/CTF updates with AUSTRAC guidance

3. Workflow & Accountability

Ruleguard supports assigning tasks, deadlines, and ownership for implementing regulatory changes. This is critical for 2026 priorities like:

• Transitioning to the new payment licensing regime
• Preparing for mandatory climate-related disclosures

4. Evidence & Audit Trails

It maintains a full audit trail of compliance actions, making it easier to demonstrate adherence during regulator reviews or internal audits.

5. Reporting & Dashboards

Firms can generate real-time dashboards and reports to track progress on regulatory obligations, helping senior management and boards maintain oversight.

Book a tailored discovery call 

Ready to turn GRC into a board-level advantage?
Book a tailored discovery call with Ruleguard to see how leading firms unify risk and compliance, surface the insights executives care about, and stay audit-ready, without the spreadsheet sprawl.