Illicit activity represented less than 1% of Australia’s cryptocurrency transactions between March 2025 and February 2026, according to a report by TRM Labs.
During the same period, Australian crypto entities processed roughly $50 billion in total on-chain transaction volume, reflecting continued growth in the country’s digital asset ecosystem.
The report found that Australia received around $15 billion in incoming crypto value to centralised exchanges and decentralised finance platforms.
Among 95 countries analysed, Australia ranked 20th globally for total cryptocurrency value received, placing it within the top quartile of crypto adoption.
Sanctions-related activity accounted for approximately 70% of all illicit crypto transactions identified during the period.
Other illicit categories included darknet markets, investment fraud and illegal goods or services, while smaller shares were linked to ransomware, scams and cybercrime.
Historically, early crypto-related crime cases in Australia were tied mainly to drug markets, but the ecosystem has since broadened as digital assets became more widely adopted.
Australia introduced regulatory oversight in 2018 requiring crypto exchanges to register with Australian Transaction Reports and Analysis Centre and comply with anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism financing rules.