Australian Securities and Investments Commission

ASIC combines functions that are split between several bodies in other countries. It is simultaneously the corporate registrar, the markets regulator, and the financial services conduct authority.

That breadth means Australian companies encounter ASIC from incorporation onward, not only when raising capital.

Australian founders deal with ASIC from incorporation, and any capital raise must fit within disclosure exemptions the commission administers.

Fund managers and anyone providing financial advice generally require an Australian Financial Services Licence, which ASIC issues and supervises.