Crowd-sourced funding

Crowd-sourced funding is a financial service where start-ups and small businesses raise funds, generally from a large number of investors that invest small amounts of money.

The information on this page will assist:

intermediaries seeking to provide crowd-sourced funding (CSF) services,
companies seeking to raise funds through crowd-sourced funding.

ASIC's Moneysmart website also has information for investors about crowd-sourced funding.

CSF legislation
ASIC guidance
AFS licence for CSF intermediaries
Companies making CSF offers
Innovation Hub
Related links

CSF legislation

The Corporations Amendment (Crowd-sourced Funding) Act 2017 amends the Corporations Act 2001 (Corporations Act), and makes minor amendments to the Australian Securities and Investments Commission Act 2001, to provide a legislative framework for crowd-sourced funding. Generally, the CSF regime reduces the regulatory requirements for public fundraising while maintaining appropriate investor protection measures. A provider of CSF services must hold an Australian financial services (AFS) licence.

The Corporations Amendment (Crowd-sourced Funding) Act 2017 received Royal Assent on 28 March 2017 and took effect on 29 September 2017. See:

The Corporations Amendment (Crowd-sourced Funding for Proprietary Companies) Act 2018 made further changes to the law to extend the CSF regime to eligible proprietary companies. The Corporations Amendment (Crowd-sourced Funding for Proprietary Companies) Act 2018 received Royal Assent on 21 September 2018 and took effect from 19 October 2018. See:

These changes mean that:

applications from intermediaries can continue to apply for an AFS licence with authorisation to provide CSF services
intermediaries who already have an AFS licence with authorisation to provide CSF services can extend the CSF services to eligible proprietary companies
eligible proprietary companies can use the CSF regime to raise funds from the public
new public companies that make CSF offers no longer have the benefit of the temporary corporate governance concessions.

ASIC guidance

As the regulator responsible for fundraising activities and financial services, we have engaged with Treasury and Government in the development of the CSF regime.

To further assist with the development of a CSF industry, we have published regulatory guidance for intermediaries seeking to provide CSF services and for companies seeking to raise funds on a platform of a CSF intermediary.

Regulatory Guide 261 Crowd-sourced funding: Guide for companies (RG 261) will assist companies seeking to raise funds through crowd-sourced funding to understand and comply with their obligations in the new regime, particularly as many of these companies will not have experience in making public offers of their shares. ASIC has also published a template CSF offer document to help companies prepare their CSF offers.
Regulatory Guide 262 Crowd-sourced funding: Guide for intermediaries (RG 262) will assist intermediaries seeking to provide CSF services, particularly as this is a new type of financial service and there are unique gatekeeper obligations for operating platforms for CSF offers.

We have also provided relief for intermediaries and eligible public companies from certain requirements under the Corporations Act to help facilitate crowd-sourced funding.

AFS licence for CSF intermediaries

Providing a crowd-funding service to offering companies and investors is a financial service. Under the CSF regime, intermediaries will be required to hold an AFS licence with an authorisation to provide a crowd-funding service. The AFS licence obligations under the Corporations Act will apply, including, for example:

the obligation to act efficiently, honestly and fairly, and comply with the conditions on the licence and the financial services laws (s912A(1)(a), (b) and (c)) which will include:
- an obligation to notify ASIC of all reportable situations (s912DAA)
- an obligation to lodge annual financial statements and an auditor's report (s989B)
conflicts of interest – having in place adequate arrangements to manage conflicts of interest (s912A(1)(aa))
resource requirements – unless a body regulated by APRA (other than certain RSE licensees), having adequate financial, human and technological resources (s912A(1)(d))
organisational competence – maintaining the competence to provide the financial services (s912A(1)(e))
risk management – unless a body regulated by APRA (other than certain RSE licensees), having adequate risk management systems (s912A(1)(h))
having adequate compensation arrangements (s912B)
dispute resolution – if the financial services are provided to persons as retail clients, having an internal and external dispute resolution system that complies with s912A(2) (s912A(1)(g)).

For information on the AFS licence process see Applying to be a CSF intermediary.

Companies making CSF offers

Under the CSF regime, eligible public companies and proprietary companies will be able to make offers of their shares, via an intermediary CSF service, using an offer document.

Unlisted public companies with less than $25 million in assets and annual turnover will be eligible to raise funds under the CSF regime. Eligible companies will be able to make offers of ordinary shares to raise up to $5 million in any 12-month period.

Companies that registered as or converted to public after the commencement of the CSF regime (i.e. 29 September 2017) and before the CSF regime was extended to proprietary companies (i.e. 19 October 2018) do not have to comply with certain reporting, audit and AGM obligations that would usually apply to public companies for up to five years as long as they continue to meet the eligibility requirements.

Public companies that registered or converted after 19 October 2018 and made a CSF offer do not have the benefit of the temporary corporate governance concessions as they are able to become or remain a proprietary company and make CSF offers.

Proprietary companies wishing to use the CSF regime are required under the law to:

maintain a minimum of two directors
prepare annual financial and directors’ reports in accordance with accounting standards
have their financial reports audited once they raise $3 million or more from CSF offers
comply with the existing related party transaction rules that apply to public companies.

There are obligations and investor protections that apply to CSF offers, including:

an investor cap of $10,000 per annum per company for retail investors
the provision of a CSF offer document containing minimum information and a prescribed risk warning
a five-day cooling-off period.

See RG 261 (including the template offer document)

How to register as a company that can use crowd-sourced funding

If you wish to register as a public or proprietary company, you will need to lodge Form 201 Application for registration as an Australian company with ASIC.

Innovation Hub

ASIC’s Innovation Hub exists to foster innovation that could benefit consumers by helping Australian fintech start-ups navigate our regulatory system. CSF intermediaries may be eligible for assistance from ASIC's Innovation Hub in relation to the AFS licensing process and requirements. Please refer to Innovation Hub for more details.

ASIC