HM Treasury and the Australian Treasury issued a joint statement summarising discussions and key outcomes from the first UK-Australia Joint Financial Regulatory Forum, held virtually on 24 September 2025. The dialogue covered regulatory reform, pensions regulation and digital assets as part of the UK-Australia Free Trade Agreement commitments to deepen regulatory cooperation in financial services. Senior officials from both Treasuries co-chaired the forum with participation from the Bank of England, Financial Conduct Authority, Australian Securities and Investments Commission, Reserve Bank of Australia and Australian Prudential Regulation Authority. On regulatory reform, the sides exchanged information on market access approaches, including recognition of overseas regimes, and discussed evidence and metrics for factoring growth considerations into regulation. On pensions, discussion covered Australia’s Member Outcomes Assessments, the United Kingdom’s work on a Value for Money framework, investment behaviours of superannuation schemes and pension funds, and policies to support individuals during decumulation, alongside a commitment to continued bilateral engagement. On digital assets, participants compared cryptoasset and stablecoin regulatory developments and flagged further work on stablecoins and supervisory cooperation, including through international fora such as the Financial Stability Board and International Organization of Securities Commissions. Additional UK-Australia official-level conversations are expected on open finance and sustainable finance, including fund labels for sustainable investment products, climate-related financial disclosures, transition planning and enhanced data sharing in financial services. The forum was followed by an industry-led UK-Australia business roundtable on 25 September.
HM Treasury 2025-09-25
HM Treasury and the Australian Treasury publish outcomes from the inaugural UK-Australia Joint Financial Regulatory Forum
HM Treasury and the Australian Treasury issued a joint statement on the first UK-Australia Joint Financial Regulatory Forum, discussing regulatory reform, pensions regulation, and digital assets under the UK-Australia Free Trade Agreement. Key topics included market access, pension fund investment behaviors, and cryptoasset regulation, with commitments to ongoing bilateral engagement and cooperation through international fora. Further discussions are anticipated on open finance and sustainable finance, including climate-related disclosures and data sharing.