Regulators and the central bank now set Australia’s digital asset agenda, 2026 Top 50 Impact List finds

Dr Brad Jones, Assistant Governor (Financial System) of the Reserve Bank of Australia, has been ranked the most impactful figure in Australian digital assets in the 2026 Digital Asset Top 50 Impact List, published by BlockchainAPAC. Brendan Thomas, Chief Executive of AUSTRAC, is ranked second and Sarah Court, Chair of ASIC, third. The Treasurer, the Hon Dr Jim Chalmers MP and the Assistant Treasurer, the Hon Dr Daniel Mulino MP, both appear in the top ten, alongside Reserve Bank Governor Michele Bullock.

The list ranks the 50 individuals judged to have had the greatest impact on the development of Australia’s digital asset market over the preceding twelve months. It spans regulators, policymakers, banks, market infrastructure, superannuation and capital allocators, law firms, digital asset exchanges and research. Now in its fourth year, it was first published in 2023.

The 2026 list was revealed on Thursday 29 October 2026 at a closed event in Sydney attended by the Chief Executive of the ASX and senior executives from Morgan Stanley, Macquarie, BlackRock, UBS, Citi, Bank of America, Westpac and ANZ, together with superannuation funds and capital allocators.

What the 2026 list shows

• Influence has moved to the regulators and the central bank. Nine of the top ten places are held by the Reserve Bank, ASIC, AUSTRAC, Treasury ministers and the Digital Finance Cooperative Research Centre. Drew Bradford of Macropod is the only private-sector operator in the top ten. Across the full list the Reserve Bank, ASIC and APRA account for eleven places between them.
• The major banks are now visible participants. Westpac, ANZ and Commonwealth Bank hold five places, including Sophie Gilder at eleven and Jeff Byrne and Nigel Dobson at thirteen and fourteen. The ASX, Cuscal, Australian Payments Plus, FinClear, Imperium Markets and TMX Australia Exchange represent payments and market infrastructure.
• Political engagement is bipartisan. The Treasurer, the Assistant Treasurer, the Cabinet Secretary and the Shadow Assistant Minister for Finance all appear, reflecting a legislative programme that now includes the Corporations Amendment (Digital Assets Framework) Act 2026 and a payments and issuance framework under consultation.
• Crypto-native firms have lost ground. Coinbase and Kraken appear at 37 and 42. No other digital asset exchange is ranked. In earlier editions of the list, crypto-native businesses held a materially larger share of places, including in the top ten.
• The room reflected the list. The 2026 event drew global investment banks, Australian major banks, superannuation funds and capital allocators, several of whom were attending a digital asset industry event for the first time. It was the most actively networked event BlockchainAPAC has convened.

“The conversation has turned. Three years ago this list was dominated by the businesses building and trading digital assets. In 2026 the people with the greatest impact on the market are the ones writing the rules, setting the prudential and monetary framework and deciding how Australia’s financial infrastructure will settle,” said Steve Vallas, Chief Executive Officer of BlockchainAPAC. “Influence has shifted from crypto-native firms to institutions. It is a reflection of where the decisions are being made. The institutions in the room on Thursday are now choosing who they engage with on the basis of who is prepared to show up publicly and do the work in the open.”

“A great deal of good work is being done behind closed doors. It does not shift the public narrative on its own. The businesses that have understood that are increasingly visible and the list reflects it,” Vallas said.

The 2026 Digital Asset Top 50 Impact List

• 1. Dr Brad Jones, Reserve Bank of Australia
• 2. Brendan Thomas, AUSTRAC
• 3. Sarah Court, ASIC
• 4. Professor Talis Putnins, DFCRC
• 5. The Hon Dr Daniel Mulino MP, Assistant Treasurer
• 6. Dr Rhys Bollen, ASIC
• 7. Drew Bradford, Macropod
• 8. Michele Bullock, Reserve Bank of Australia
• 9. The Hon Dr Jim Chalmers MP, Treasurer
• 10. Elizabeth Reed, DFCRC
• 11. Sophie Gilder, Commonwealth Bank
• 12. James Kelly, Commonwealth Treasury
• 13. Jeff Byrne, Westpac
• 14. Nigel Dobson, ANZ
• 15. Alex Vynokur, Betashares
• 16. Stu Burns, Imperium Markets
• 17. Anthony Attia, ASX
• 18. Calissa Aldridge, ASIC
• 19. Simon Birmingham, Australian Banking Association
• 20. Amy-Rose Goodey, DECA
• 21. Simone Constant, ASIC
• 22. David Ferrall, FinClear
• 23. Robert Porter, ANZ
• 24. Rob Allen, ICON Future Technologies
• 25. Dr Scott Farrell, Mallesons
• 26. John Lonsdale, APRA
• 27. Emma Quinn, TMX Australia Exchange
• 28. Professor Ross Buckley, UNSW Sydney
• 29. Lynn Kraus, Australian Payments Plus
• 30. Greg Medcraft, AFG, GDF and DFCRC
• 31. Simon Kennedy MP, Federal Member for Cook
• 32. Urszula McCormack, Mallesons
• 33. Liam Hennessy, Thomsons
• 34. Effie Dimitropoulos, AUDD
• 35. Paul Derham, Holley Nethercote
• 36. The Hon Dr Andrew Charlton MP, Federal Member for Parramatta
• 37. John O’Loghlen, Coinbase
• 38. Caroline Bowler, Westpac
• 39. Daniel Chippeck, APRA
• 40. Hannah Glass, Ashurst Perkins Coie
• 41. Kylie Stewart, Reserve Bank of Australia
• 42. Jonathon Miller, Kraken
• 43. Therese McCarthy Hockey, APRA
• 44. Ellis Connolly, Reserve Bank of Australia
• 45. Thomas Tudehope, Stripe
• 46. Michael Prendiville, JellyC
• 47. Mark Staples, DFCRC
• 48. Sarah Proudfoot, ACCC
• 49. Craig Kennedy, Cuscal
• 50. Danielle Gerace, Broadridge

The full list and methodology is published at dalist.com.au.