Margin Called: ASIC to Expand Retail CFD Restrictions

The Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) has released a consultation (CS 64) proposing to keep its contracts for difference (CFD) product intervention order in place for a further ten years, out to 2037. The order is otherwise due to lapse on 23 May 2027. Alongside the extension, ASIC seeks to tighten the margin rules, spell out the inducement carve-outs and, of particular interest to the digital asset sector, bring CFDs settled by the transfer of digital assets within the order. Submissions on CS 64 close at 5pm AEDT on 9 November 2026, giving industry four weeks to respond.