AUSTRAC

What AUSTRAC does

AUSTRAC (Australian Transaction Reports and Analysis Centre) is Australia's anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism financing regulator and specialist financial intelligence unit, established under the Anti-Money Laundering and Counter-Terrorism Financing Act 2006. The agency operates the AUSTRAC Online portal — the mandatory digital reporting platform through which regulated entities enrol, register, and submit threshold transaction reports, suspicious matter reports, and compliance documentation — alongside the Fintel Alliance, a multi-agency public-private partnership that combines AUSTRAC's financial intelligence with the operational capabilities of the Australian Federal Police, state and territory police forces, and other government agencies. Public registries maintained by AUSTRAC include the Reporting Entity Roll, the Remittance Sector Register, and the Virtual Asset Service Provider Register.

AUSTRAC's regulatory perimeter covers seven primary industry verticals — banking and financial institutions, gambling services, remittance service providers, virtual asset service providers, and, effective July 2026 under the Tranche 2 reforms, real estate professionals, legal and accounting professionals, conveyancers, and bullion/precious-metals dealers. The combined regulated population is projected to exceed 100,000 reporting entities. Core deliverables include financial intelligence analysis for law-enforcement partners, regulatory guidance and education, supervisory campaigns (e.g., the review of 50 foreign bank branches moving approximately A$2.5 trillion across Australia's borders), and enforcement actions ranging from infringement notices (e.g., $56,340 against Cryptolink) and registration suspensions (e.g., Cryptolink, which took 96 crypto ATMs offline) to federal court proceedings seeking penalties of up to AU$400 million (e.g., Star Entertainment).

As a Commonwealth statutory agency under the Attorney-General's Department, AUSTRAC is funded through annual government appropriations and industry contribution levies on regulated entities rather than commercial revenue. The agency operates from headquarters in Haymarket (Sydney) with regional offices in Melbourne (Docklands) and Canberra (Barton), and is led by CEO Brendan Thomas.

Name

AUSTRAC

Legal name

Australian Transaction Reports and Analysis Centre (AUSTRAC)

Website

https://austrac.gov.au

Company type

Private

Founded year

2006

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

AUSTRAC is Australia's anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism financing regulator and financial intelligence unit, overseeing more than 100,000 reporting entities through the AUSTRAC Online portal and the Fintel Alliance multi-agency partnership.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Financial Intelligence and AML/CTF Regulation

NAICS

Financial Transactions Processing, Reserve, and Clearinghouse Activities (522320)

SIC

Finance Services (6199)

akta.pro primary industry

AML/CTF Transaction Monitoring & Case Management (FSAGAFAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Financial Regulation, AML/CFT & Tax Transparency Cooperation (BPADANAL), Case Management, Investigations & SAR/STR Filing (FSAMAMAF)

Keywords

• Anti-money laundering regulation
• Financial intelligence unit
• Counter-terrorism financing compliance
• AML reporting obligations
• Financial crime enforcement

Headquarters

HQ city

Chatswood

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

AUSTRAC is Australia's anti-money laundering (AML) and counter-terrorism financing (CTF) regulator and specialist financial intelligence unit. It regulates businesses providing designated services (banks, casinos, remittance providers, virtual asset service providers, real estate agents, lawyers, accountants and others), collects suspicious matter and threshold transaction reports through the AUSTRAC Online portal, produces financial intelligence, and shares it with law enforcement via the Fintel Alliance to prevent, detect and disrupt money laundering, terrorism financing and proliferation financing.

Product overview

AUSTRAC is Australia's financial intelligence agency responsible for preventing, detecting, and responding to criminal abuse of the financial system. Rather than a commercial product company, AUSTRAC operates regulatory platforms and services including AUSTRAC Online (the core compliance portal for reporting entities), the Fintel Alliance public-private partnership program, and publicly accessible registers including the Reporting Entity Roll, Remittance Sector Register, and Virtual Asset Service Provider Register. The agency also provides an extensive education and resources platform offering guidance, starter kits, and e-learning to support businesses in meeting their AML/CTF obligations under Australia's Anti-Money Laundering and Counter-Terrorism Financing Act.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Quantifiable outcome

• AUSTRAC's Fintel Alliance uncovered coordinated mortgage fraud potentially involving hundreds of millions of dollars across ten major Australian banks through Operation Claw
• +2 more outcomes

Segments7 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Fintel AlliancecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMulti-agency intelligence and enforcement partnership combining AUSTRAC's financial intelligence capabilities with Australian Federal Police, state and territory police forces, and other government agencies to detect, investigate, and disrupt financial crime. The Fintel Alliance enables coordinated operations such as Operation Claw which uncovered coordinated mortgage fraud across major Australian banks.
• Foreign Bank Branches and SubsidiariesminorOthersSupervisory campaigns examining AML compliance among 50 foreign bank branches operating in Australia that moved approximately $2.5 trillion in and out of the country, identifying significant weaknesses in suspicious activity reporting and money mule account exposure.

Scale indicators13 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS): Singapore's central bank and integrated financial regulator with AML/CFT supervisory powers over banks, payment services, and digital payment token services. MAS serves as both regulator and FIU for Singapore's financial system, making it a direct peer in the Asia-Pacific AML regulatory landscape.
• FINTRAC (Financial Transactions and Reports Analysis Centre of Canada): Canada's financial intelligence unit under the PCMLTFA, with equivalent AML/CTF regulatory and intelligence-sharing functions. FINTRAC collects financial transaction reports, maintains compliance oversight, and produces financial crime intelligence for law enforcement—directly paralleling AUSTRAC's mandate.
• FinCEN (Financial Crimes Enforcement Network): The US Treasury's Financial Crimes Enforcement Network is the direct international analog to AUSTRAC—collecting SARs, CTRs, and operating as the US financial intelligence unit with BSA enforcement powers. Both agencies share FIU functions, similar regulatory mandates, and participate in the Egmont Group.

Regional players

• Australian Prudential Regulation Authority (APRA): Australia's prudential regulator for banks, insurers, and superannuation. APRA coordinates with AUSTRAC (e.g., concurrent $50M operational risk capital charge on Bendigo & Adelaide Bank) and shares oversight of authorised deposit-taking institutions subject to both prudential and AML/CTF requirements.
• Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC): Australia's corporate, markets, and financial services regulator. ASIC is a domestic peer with joint enforcement coordination with AUSTRAC (e.g., Tabcorp money laundering probe, digital asset platform oversight), though its mandate focuses on securities/markets rather than AML/CTF specifically.
• FATF / Egmont FIU Network (Hong Kong Police FIU / Hong Kong Monetary Authority): Regional FIU/regulator peers in the Asia-Pacific region managing cross-border financial flows that intersect with Australian financial crime concerns. Both serve as counterparts in cross-border AML/CTF cooperation and intelligence sharing.

Broad incumbents

• Financial Action Task Force (FATF): The intergovernmental body that sets global AML/CFT standards and conducts mutual evaluations of member countries, including Australia. FATF is a peer in the sense that both AUSTRAC and FATF shape international AML/CFT policy, though FATF operates as a standard-setter rather than a national regulator.
• UK National Crime Agency (NCA): The UK's lead agency against serious and organised crime, with operational financial crime investigation capabilities that mirror AUSTRAC's Fintel Alliance approach. Both agencies serve as intelligence-led partners to law enforcement and coordinate with regulators.
• Egmont Group of Financial Intelligence Units: The international association of 166+ FIUs, of which AUSTRAC is a member. The Egmont Group facilitates intelligence sharing and cooperation among FIUs globally—AUSTRAC participates as both member and contributing FIU, paralleling how other national FIUs operate.

Others

• Chainalysis: Leading blockchain analytics vendor providing transaction monitoring, KYC, and investigation tools to government agencies, including FIUs and regulators. Chainalysis is an ecosystem partner to AUSTRAC's cryptocurrency oversight, particularly given the Cryptolink crypto ATM enforcement actions.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/57802

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about AUSTRAC