Names, licence numbers and websites of Australian Financial Services (AFS) licensees are increasingly being impersonated online, exposing consumers to scams.
To combat this, in April 2026 ASIC decided that AFS licensee website addresses should be added to the AFS licensee professional register. These websites addresses will be published on the ASIC Professional Registers Search (PRS) from June 2026.
Listing website addresses will enable consumers and businesses to check that they are dealing with genuine AFS licensee websites and combat impersonation scams where criminals copy the name and licence details of AFS licensees to create fake websites.
From 4 May 2026, ASIC will begin to collect AFS licensee website addresses for all existing AFS licensees via the Regulatory Portal on a voluntary basis. If an AFS licensee provides ASIC with its website addresses (or confirms that it does not operate a website) then they must keep those details up to date. For example, an AFS licensee must inform ASIC, in relation to the websites used to carry on its financial services business, when it starts operating a website, stops using a website address it previously listed, or changes its principal website address.
Key actions for AFS licensees
Prepare
Check that the AFS licensee’s Regulatory Portal ongoing contact person details are up to date so that it receives emails from ASIC about this change. If the AFS licensee uses more than one website address to carry on its financial services business, it should select one to nominate as the ‘principal’ website address.
Provide
Log into the Regulatory Portal and provide ASIC with the AFS licensee’s website addresses used to carry on its financial services business. See ASIC FAQ for guidance on which website addresses to provide and what format to provide them in.
Update
If an AFS licensee provides ASIC with its website addresses (or confirms that it does not operate a website) then they must update ASIC within 10 business days if their website addresses used to carry on their financial services business change or they start operating a website. Late fees will apply for changes provided after 10 business days.
What will ASIC publish on the Professional Registers Search (PRS) webpage?
ASIC will display an AFS licensee’s principal website address (or the fact that they do not have a website) prominently on the PRS. Any additional website addresses the AFS licensee provides will appear lower down in an expandable section.
Why this matters
- Make it easier to spot AFS licensee impersonation websites and reduce investment scam losses.
- Help detect and disrupt scam websites that misuse AFS licensee details.
- Support other agencies and businesses to verify website addresses as part of a broader anti-scam effort.
- Align ASIC’s AFS professional register with approaches used by other international regulators.
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