Quick answer
Yes, a crypto or digital asset business can get a business loan in Australia, but not usually from a bank. Non-bank lenders assess the business on its bank statements, its AUSTRAC registration and ASIC licence position, and any security offered, such as property. Unsecured funding is typically $5k to $500k and property-secured funding runs from $20k to $5m.
Key points
- Banks often decline on industry policy alone, before they look at your numbers
- Lenders want to see the right AUSTRAC registration and, where it applies, an ASIC licence or application
- Your business bank statements carry the application, so clean separation from personal and wallet transfers matters
- Property security can lift the amount well beyond what turnover alone supports
If you run an exchange, a Bitcoin ATM network, a trading desk or a digital asset service, you probably know the pattern. The business is busy, the customers are real, and the bank either declines the loan or quietly closes the account. This guide covers what funding is realistic, what a non-bank lender needs to see, and what has changed in the rules this year.
Why do banks say no to crypto businesses?
Mostly it is policy, not your numbers. Many banks treat the whole sector as high risk for scam and money-laundering reasons, so the application can fail before anyone reads your statements. That is a sector rule applied to everyone, and it says little about whether your business can repay.
A non-bank lender works differently. It can assess your business on its own evidence. The questions become: does the cash flow support the repayments, is the business properly registered, and is there security that does not depend on a token price?
If you have been turned away on industry alone, our page on being declined because of your industry explains how that decision is made and what the alternatives look like.
What are the rules lenders will check in 2026?
Three things have moved this year, and a sensible lender will ask about each.
AUSTRAC registration. The AML/CTF reforms changed the labels. AUSTRAC’s guidance says registered digital currency exchange providers did not need to re-register: they were treated as virtual asset service providers from 31 March 2026, and had until 29 July 2026 to update their enrolment details. If you offer virtual asset services, AUSTRAC says you must not provide them before your registration is confirmed. Read AUSTRAC’s DCE to VASP guide and its list of virtual asset designated services to check which side of the line you sit on.
The ASIC licence position. ASIC told firms relying on its no-action position that they had until 30 September 2026 to apply for or vary an Australian Financial Services licence. From 1 October, firms that still needed one and had not met the conditions risk breaching financial services law. That date has now passed, so a lender is likely to ask whether you applied. The same ASIC notice says the new digital assets framework commences on 9 April 2027.
Your own file. Directors’ credit history, ATO lodgements and any existing loans still count, as they do for any business.
None of this is a loan test as such. It tells a lender whether the business is on solid legal ground, and a business that can show it moves into a much easier conversation.
What do lenders actually look at?
For most owners it comes down to five things.
- Bank statements. Six to twelve months of the account your income actually runs through. Our guide to what lenders see in your bank statements lists the lines read first.
- Registration and licensing. Evidence of AUSTRAC registration, and your AFS licence application or authorisation if it applies.
- Time trading. An ABN with a track record. A newer business can still be considered, with a smaller first amount.
- Existing debts. Repayments already leaving the account reduce what you can afford.
- Security. Property if you have it, or a guarantor’s property.
Notice what is missing from that list: the price of any token. A lender who wants to understand your business will focus on fees, spreads and trading income that land in your account as ordinary dollars in your bank account.
Which funding fits which need?
| Need | Likely route | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Working capital, a slow month, marketing | Cash flow finance | Sized on turnover, typically $5k to $500k unsecured |
| Larger amount, new premises, compliance build | Secured business loan | Property-secured loans run from $20k to $5m |
| Short-term gap until a known payment lands | Short-term business loan | Quick, with a clear exit |
Property security is the lever that most changes the outcome in this sector. It does not depend on the business at all. First mortgage, second mortgage and caveat are all possible, and we do not need a valuation before approval. The trade-off is real: the property is at risk if the loan fails. Our guide to whose property can secure a business loan covers the detail.
What if my bank closed my business account?
Fix this before you apply. A lender reading your statements wants one account, clean and consistent, that shows the income coming in. If the money is scattered across wallets, personal accounts and an account that is about to close, the picture is hard to read.
Open an account with a provider that accepts your business. Route all income through it for a few months. Keep personal spending out of it. Even a short, tidy run of statements does more for you than a long, messy one.
A worked example
This is an illustration, not a real client. A Melbourne business runs several Bitcoin ATMs and a small over-the-counter desk. It has traded for three years, is registered with AUSTRAC and banks about $120k a month in fees and spreads. Its bank has declined an overdraft because of the industry.
A non-bank lender reads twelve months of statements from the account the fees land in. Deposits are steady with one soft quarter, there are no other loan repayments, and the director’s credit is clean. The registration paperwork is in order. An unsecured offer is sized to the deposits with a personal guarantee. When the owner wants more to place machines in new venues, they discuss a second-mortgage loan on the director’s home for the larger amount.
Can I borrow against my crypto holdings?
Be careful here. Some owners assume tokens on the balance sheet work like equipment or property. Most lenders see it differently, because the value can fall sharply in a week, and a loan secured on something that can halve overnight is hard to price or hold. Some lenders will take it into account as a comfort factor. Few will lend against it as the main security.
The practical advice is to ask the lender directly how they treat digital assets, and to prepare a plan that works without them. If the numbers only stack up when tokens count at today’s price, the plan is probably too fragile. Cash flow and property are what hold a file together.
What about the ATO, GST and your accountant?
Lenders sometimes ask for tax returns or BAS lodgements, and crypto businesses often have more complicated books than a typical shopfront. Whoever does your accounts should be able to give you a clean profit and loss that separates fee income, trading gains and wallet movements. A tidy set of books speeds the file along. If the paperwork is behind, a low doc route reads bank statements instead of returns, and our low doc business loans page explains who it suits.
How long does it take?
If the file is tidy, quickly. Funds can arrive in as little as 24 hours on straightforward deals once documents are signed. Delays almost always trace back to the same three things: registration papers that are hard to find, statements that mix personal and business money, and an unclear purpose. Fix those first and the rest is usually routine. Where property is involved, there is a little more to organise, such as the title and who needs to sign, but no valuation is needed before approval.
Mistakes that sink crypto business applications
- Leading with your holdings. Tokens held on the balance sheet make some lenders nervous. Lead with trading income and statements.
- Missing registration papers. If a lender has to chase your AUSTRAC details, the file slows or stalls.
- Applying everywhere. Every application can leave an enquiry on your credit file, and a run of declines looks worse than one careful approach. See our guide to credit enquiries.
- Mixing personal and business money. It makes income difficult to verify.
- Describing the purpose vaguely. “Growth” is not a purpose. “Fit-out of three new ATM sites” is.
Not sure which route fits? A short enquiry will tell you, and it leaves your credit file alone.
How should you prepare before you apply?
- Collect your AUSTRAC registration details and any AFS licence application or authorisation.
- Pull six to twelve months of statements from the account your income runs through.
- List existing loans and their repayments.
- Work out the amount and the purpose, with a small buffer.
- Decide whether property, yours or a guarantor’s, could be offered.
For the remaining paperwork, work through the loan documents checklist.
Ready to find out where you stand?
A bank turning down your sector is not the same as every lender doing so. If the business earns, is registered properly and can show its numbers, there is usually a conversation worth having.
Enquiring takes about 60 seconds and there is no credit check when you first enquire, so finding out won’t affect your score. We don’t send your details to a pile of lenders, so your phone won’t light up. A real person reads your situation and calls you to talk it through. Please fill the form in accurately, so we can match the right option first time.
Frequently asked questions
Will a lender fund my crypto business at all?
Some will, case by case. Alternative lenders look at turnover, statements, registration and security rather than ruling out an industry on sight. A bank is far more likely to apply a blanket policy.
Do I need AUSTRAC registration to get a loan?
If you provide exchange or other virtual asset services in Australia, AUSTRAC registration is a legal requirement, and a lender will expect to see it. Without it, most lenders will not proceed.
Does my ASIC licence position matter?
It can. ASIC's no-action position for digital asset businesses required firms to apply for or vary an AFS licence by 30 September 2026. A lender will want to know where you stand, so have your application or licence details ready.
Can I borrow against my crypto holdings?
Lenders are generally cautious about digital assets as security because the value swings. Property or strong, steady cash flow are far more commonly accepted. Ask directly, but do not build a plan around it.
My bank closed my business account. Does that kill my application?
No, but a lender will want to see a working business account with clean history. Open an account with a provider that accepts your business, run your income through it, and give it a few months of statements.
How much can I borrow without property?
Unsecured and cash flow funding typically runs from $5,000 to $500,000, sized on turnover and statements. More than that usually needs property security.
How fast can funds arrive?
On straightforward files, funds can land in as little as 24 hours once documents are signed. Registration paperwork and clean statements keep a file straightforward.
Prefer to start now? Enquire here
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