Price Transparency and Reduced Trading Costs
Global trading platform Pepperstone has announced the launch of its new spot cryptocurrency exchange in Australia. The exchange, named Pepperstone Crypto Spot Exchange, aims to reset pricing practices by exposing and reducing the true cost of crypto trading.
Following extensive analysis, Pepperstone identified opaque pricing practices and limited fee competition as prevalent issues in the Australian market. With a flat 0.1 per cent commission model, the exchange promises greater transparency for investors.
Currently, Australians are paying up to 500 per cent more in total trading costs compared to Pepperstone’s new model when both commissions and spreads are considered. Publishing commissions and spreads upfront aims to address this disparity.
Tamas Szabo, Group CEO of Pepperstone, stated, “Crypto investors have been paying more than they realise once spreads are taken into account. We are entering the market to start a pricing war and force those costs into the open.”
Australian Market and Regulatory Alignment
High crypto participation rates and an evolving regulatory framework, including the Corporations Amendment (Digital Assets Framework) Bill 2025, were key factors in Pepperstone’s decision. As the country formalises crypto regulation, the platform aims to integrate digital assets within a secure and regulated trading environment.
Leveraging its global trading infrastructure, Pepperstone will provide institutional-grade liquidity and support execution quality. A national campaign titled ‘Welcome to a new era of crypto’ will accompany the launch, encouraging investors to scrutinise total trading costs.
With over one in three adults holding digital assets, Australia’s crypto participation is among the highest in developed markets. Between two and six million Australians are waiting for regulatory clarity before entering the crypto market.
Self-managed super funds (SMSFs) have already allocated over $1.6 billion to crypto, and bitcoin ETFs listed on the ASX are attracting sustained inflows, reinforcing the country’s strong engagement with digital currencies.
The launch of Pepperstone Crypto Spot Exchange represents a significant development in Australia’s digital currency landscape, with the potential to influence market practices and investor engagement. The decision to develop the exchange in-house allows Pepperstone to maintain control over execution, liquidity management, and platform performance, ensuring that pricing is set without reliance on third-party infrastructure. This strategy supports consistent pricing and execution, applying Pepperstone’s existing risk, legal, and compliance frameworks from traditional markets to digital asset trading.
Australia’s move toward formalising crypto regulation is seen as a response to the structural gap between demand and access, as approximately 30 per cent of investors report friction from banking restrictions. This regulatory alignment is expected to attract more participants into the market. More information can be found at pepperstonecrypto.com.
