On Oct 12, 2026, ASIC, Australia's securities regulator, proposed leverage limits for certain derivatives that are settled in digital assets. The proposal would also protect traders of those contracts against negative balances. Cointelegraph reported the proposal in an article by Ezra Reguerra.
ASIC describes the plan as extending leverage limits and protections it already applies, so that they also cover contracts settled in crypto. The stated goal is to protect retail investors.
The report does not say what the maximum leverage would be or which contracts count as "certain" derivatives. It also does not give a start date. This is a proposal, not a final rule.
Nothing changes directly for anyone already holding a perpetual position on Bitget, Bybit, MEXC or OKX. The article does not name any of these exchanges or mention perpetual futures, and it says nothing about funding rates, fees or liquidity. Until ASIC publishes the limits and the list of covered contracts, the cost of holding a position depends on the same things it did before this proposal.
Source: cointelegraph — Australia proposes leverage caps for crypto-settled derivatives