Australia could capture about 24 billion Australian dollars (roughly $17 billion) a year from growth in tokenized markets and digital assets — but only if lawmakers move ahead with clear regulation, according to a new report from the Digital Finance Cooperative Research Centre (DFCRC).
The DFCRC’s report, “Unlocking Australia’s $24b Digital Finance Opportunity,” says regulatory uncertainty, poor coordination and limited pathways for pilots to scale are the main barriers to realizing the opportunity. The research recommends creating a regulatory sandbox to test tokenized financial market use cases and to foster ongoing collaboration between regulators and industry, which would support improved licensing frameworks.
The report also proposes trialing tokenized government bonds and a wholesale central bank digital currency (CBDC) inside the sandbox to underpin tokenized markets, collateralized lending, and related services. The study was produced with the Digital Economy Council of Australia and financed by crypto exchange OKX.
Where the gains come from
DFCRC estimates major economic gains will stem from three areas: broader investor access and deeper liquidity in markets, more efficient payments (including tokenized money such as stablecoins and CBDCs) that reduce reliance on expensive correspondent banking, and new asset classes created by tokenization. Tokenized assets can offer greater transparency, programmability and direct usability in automated trading, lending and collateral-management systems.
The report notes that almost half of asset-related economic gains would come from enabling collateralized lending, repurchase (repo) markets and invoice financing on tokenized rails, where smart contracts automate collateral management, margining and settlement.
Regulation is decisive
Kate Cooper, CEO of OKX, warned that without clearer regulation the potential is unlikely to be realized. On the current path, DFCRC projects Australia will secure only about 1 billion AUD (~$710 million) in crypto-related economic gains by 2030. Cooper said long-term benefits depend on clear regulatory frameworks and institutional-grade infrastructure to build trust, attract capital and position Australia in the next era of global finance.
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