BTC Markets Seeks RWA Trading License in Australia Amid Tokenized Finance Growth

Australian cryptocurrency exchange BTC Markets is poised to join the growing list of platforms pushing into regulated tokenized finance. The company has formally notified the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) of its intention to apply for a markets license to offer regulated tokenized real-world assets (RWA) to the public.

'Our plan is to obtain licensing infrastructure that enables particular types of tokenized assets to be offered and available to the public,' said Lucas Dobbins, CEO of BTC Markets. He described a future where tokenized equities, bonds, and RWAs trade alongside cryptocurrencies on continuously operating markets with instant settlement.

BTC Markets is targeting the same space already entered by Kraken, which launched tokenized stocks through its xStocks platform in June 2025, and Robinhood, which announced a tokenized stock trading platform for European markets the same year. Traditional finance venues are also moving in, with Intercontinental Exchange (ICE) developing a platform for tokenized securities including stocks and ETFs.

Australia's strong regulation, deep capital markets, and large pension system create structural advantages for adoption, according to Dobbins. However, he notes that the country may only capture around AUD$1 billion of the estimated $24 billion in annual economic gains from tokenized markets by 2030 without licensed market infrastructure.