ASIC Grants 339 New AFS Licenses in FY2020-21
- The agency received a total of 565 applications for new AFS licenses.

The Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) published a report on Wednesday, detailing its licensing activities in the last financial year, between July 2020 to June 2021. The regulator has issued 339 new Australian Financial Services (AFS) licenses and 119 new credit licenses in the period.
The last fiscal year was a bit different for the regulator as the industry was gripped by the impact of the pandemic, primarily because of the economic lockdowns. Despite that, the agency received 1,883 applications for new or variations of licenses.
The demand for AFS licenses dominated with 565 applications for new ones and 877 requests for variations. Apart from the AFS licenses already granted, the regulator did not approve the applications of 123 AFS licenses while the fate of 281 applications is still pending.
The number of the granted AFS licenses took a hit last year as ASIC ASIC The Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) is the prime regulator in Australia for corporate, markets, financial services, and consumer credit. It is empowered under the financial service laws to facilitate, regulate, and enforce Australian financial laws. The Australian Commission was set up and is administered under the Australian Securities and Investment Commission Act of 2001. ASIC was initially the Australian Securities Commission based on the 1989 ASC Act. Initially, the idea was to unite regulators in Australia by replacing the National Companies and Securities Commission and the Corporate Affairs offices. ASIC does not regulate business or register business structures, only business names. One of the unique features of the Australian regulator is that over 90% of its operating budget comes from fees and fines levies. These fees for service, including company registration fees and licensing fees for banks, brokers, and other financial institutions. What is ASIC Responsible For?The regulator is charged with protecting the public from financial fraud and to make sure the investor is knowledgeable and understands their involvement. To this end, the Commission provides a license to each Financial Services provider. ASIC tests and assesses the qualification and experience of Financial Advisors. An Australian financial services (AFS) licensee, an authorized representative, employee or director of an AFS licensee, or an employee or director of a related body corporate of an AFS licensee, is authorized to provide personal advice to retail clients concerning relevant financial products to retail clients ASIC monitors the behavior of Financial Advisors and can access fines and remove or suspend their license. The regulator also licenses all investment and trading companies doing business in Australia. One service of the most outstanding benefits is the Australian Market Regulation Feed. To monitor trading activity, brokers and market operators have to facilitate access to ASIC’s Integrated Market Surveillance System. This means brokers and other relevant bodies in the registry must allow daily access to: All orders, trades, and quotes that are processed and circulated by the trading engine All messages related to trading sessions, product price and status They are closely monitoring all online and day trading The Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) is the prime regulator in Australia for corporate, markets, financial services, and consumer credit. It is empowered under the financial service laws to facilitate, regulate, and enforce Australian financial laws. The Australian Commission was set up and is administered under the Australian Securities and Investment Commission Act of 2001. ASIC was initially the Australian Securities Commission based on the 1989 ASC Act. Initially, the idea was to unite regulators in Australia by replacing the National Companies and Securities Commission and the Corporate Affairs offices. ASIC does not regulate business or register business structures, only business names. One of the unique features of the Australian regulator is that over 90% of its operating budget comes from fees and fines levies. These fees for service, including company registration fees and licensing fees for banks, brokers, and other financial institutions. What is ASIC Responsible For?The regulator is charged with protecting the public from financial fraud and to make sure the investor is knowledgeable and understands their involvement. To this end, the Commission provides a license to each Financial Services provider. ASIC tests and assesses the qualification and experience of Financial Advisors. An Australian financial services (AFS) licensee, an authorized representative, employee or director of an AFS licensee, or an employee or director of a related body corporate of an AFS licensee, is authorized to provide personal advice to retail clients concerning relevant financial products to retail clients ASIC monitors the behavior of Financial Advisors and can access fines and remove or suspend their license. The regulator also licenses all investment and trading companies doing business in Australia. One service of the most outstanding benefits is the Australian Market Regulation Feed. To monitor trading activity, brokers and market operators have to facilitate access to ASIC’s Integrated Market Surveillance System. This means brokers and other relevant bodies in the registry must allow daily access to: All orders, trades, and quotes that are processed and circulated by the trading engine All messages related to trading sessions, product price and status They are closely monitoring all online and day trading Read this Term issued 394 AFS licenses in the financial year 2019-2020.
Impact of the Pandemic
But, the pandemic impacted the standard procedures followed by the agency in the last fiscal year. Generally, ASIC mandates companies to start operations within six months of receiving their AFS license. However, it extended this period for 27 licensees due to pandemic-related issues.
“Supporting Australia’s recovery from the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic has been central to ASICs work across 2020-21 and will continue to be a priority in the year ahead,” ASIC stated.
Additionally, the agency extended licensing relief for all foreign financial service providers (FFSPs) until March 31, 2023, allowing them to operate in the country without an AFS license. Additionally, these companies are provided with a fast-track route to obtain an AFS license.
“As a result of the large number of applications received in May and June 2020 relating to the insurance claims handling and debt management services reforms, the volume of applications under assessment is currently relatively high. This may delay the assessment of some applications in 2021-22,” ASIC added.
The Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) published a report on Wednesday, detailing its licensing activities in the last financial year, between July 2020 to June 2021. The regulator has issued 339 new Australian Financial Services (AFS) licenses and 119 new credit licenses in the period.
The last fiscal year was a bit different for the regulator as the industry was gripped by the impact of the pandemic, primarily because of the economic lockdowns. Despite that, the agency received 1,883 applications for new or variations of licenses.
The demand for AFS licenses dominated with 565 applications for new ones and 877 requests for variations. Apart from the AFS licenses already granted, the regulator did not approve the applications of 123 AFS licenses while the fate of 281 applications is still pending.
The number of the granted AFS licenses took a hit last year as ASIC ASIC The Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) is the prime regulator in Australia for corporate, markets, financial services, and consumer credit. It is empowered under the financial service laws to facilitate, regulate, and enforce Australian financial laws. The Australian Commission was set up and is administered under the Australian Securities and Investment Commission Act of 2001. ASIC was initially the Australian Securities Commission based on the 1989 ASC Act. Initially, the idea was to unite regulators in Australia by replacing the National Companies and Securities Commission and the Corporate Affairs offices. ASIC does not regulate business or register business structures, only business names. One of the unique features of the Australian regulator is that over 90% of its operating budget comes from fees and fines levies. These fees for service, including company registration fees and licensing fees for banks, brokers, and other financial institutions. What is ASIC Responsible For?The regulator is charged with protecting the public from financial fraud and to make sure the investor is knowledgeable and understands their involvement. To this end, the Commission provides a license to each Financial Services provider. ASIC tests and assesses the qualification and experience of Financial Advisors. An Australian financial services (AFS) licensee, an authorized representative, employee or director of an AFS licensee, or an employee or director of a related body corporate of an AFS licensee, is authorized to provide personal advice to retail clients concerning relevant financial products to retail clients ASIC monitors the behavior of Financial Advisors and can access fines and remove or suspend their license. The regulator also licenses all investment and trading companies doing business in Australia. One service of the most outstanding benefits is the Australian Market Regulation Feed. To monitor trading activity, brokers and market operators have to facilitate access to ASIC’s Integrated Market Surveillance System. This means brokers and other relevant bodies in the registry must allow daily access to: All orders, trades, and quotes that are processed and circulated by the trading engine All messages related to trading sessions, product price and status They are closely monitoring all online and day trading The Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) is the prime regulator in Australia for corporate, markets, financial services, and consumer credit. It is empowered under the financial service laws to facilitate, regulate, and enforce Australian financial laws. The Australian Commission was set up and is administered under the Australian Securities and Investment Commission Act of 2001. ASIC was initially the Australian Securities Commission based on the 1989 ASC Act. Initially, the idea was to unite regulators in Australia by replacing the National Companies and Securities Commission and the Corporate Affairs offices. ASIC does not regulate business or register business structures, only business names. One of the unique features of the Australian regulator is that over 90% of its operating budget comes from fees and fines levies. These fees for service, including company registration fees and licensing fees for banks, brokers, and other financial institutions. What is ASIC Responsible For?The regulator is charged with protecting the public from financial fraud and to make sure the investor is knowledgeable and understands their involvement. To this end, the Commission provides a license to each Financial Services provider. ASIC tests and assesses the qualification and experience of Financial Advisors. An Australian financial services (AFS) licensee, an authorized representative, employee or director of an AFS licensee, or an employee or director of a related body corporate of an AFS licensee, is authorized to provide personal advice to retail clients concerning relevant financial products to retail clients ASIC monitors the behavior of Financial Advisors and can access fines and remove or suspend their license. The regulator also licenses all investment and trading companies doing business in Australia. One service of the most outstanding benefits is the Australian Market Regulation Feed. To monitor trading activity, brokers and market operators have to facilitate access to ASIC’s Integrated Market Surveillance System. This means brokers and other relevant bodies in the registry must allow daily access to: All orders, trades, and quotes that are processed and circulated by the trading engine All messages related to trading sessions, product price and status They are closely monitoring all online and day trading Read this Term issued 394 AFS licenses in the financial year 2019-2020.
Impact of the Pandemic
But, the pandemic impacted the standard procedures followed by the agency in the last fiscal year. Generally, ASIC mandates companies to start operations within six months of receiving their AFS license. However, it extended this period for 27 licensees due to pandemic-related issues.
“Supporting Australia’s recovery from the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic has been central to ASICs work across 2020-21 and will continue to be a priority in the year ahead,” ASIC stated.
Additionally, the agency extended licensing relief for all foreign financial service providers (FFSPs) until March 31, 2023, allowing them to operate in the country without an AFS license. Additionally, these companies are provided with a fast-track route to obtain an AFS license.
“As a result of the large number of applications received in May and June 2020 relating to the insurance claims handling and debt management services reforms, the volume of applications under assessment is currently relatively high. This may delay the assessment of some applications in 2021-22,” ASIC added.