The status of thousands of advisers on ASIC’s Financial Advisers Register was updated in the closing weeks of 2025, the regulator has confirmed.
ASIC records indicate that in early November 2025 nearly 4,000 advisers were listed on the register as not having met the education standard introduced under the professional standards framework. By the start of February 2026 that figure had fallen to less than 200, according to data shared by ASIC.
The change does not necessarily indicate thousands of advisers completed qualifications in the final weeks of last year. Industry sources note that, in some cases, advisers had already met the standard but their status had not yet been updated on the register.
The 1 January 2026 deadline marked the final date for advisers to complete an approved degree or equivalent qualification under reforms that took effect in January 2019.
We conducted significant engagement with industry peak bodies…
In the 18 months leading up to the deadline, ASIC undertook a sustained awareness campaign, issuing reminders, publishing guidance material, and hosting a webinar outlining advisers’ obligations.
“We conducted significant engagement with industry peak bodies,” an ASIC spokesperson said. “We acknowledge the importance of these bodies in getting our messages out to their members.”
Advisers who did not meet the qualifications standard by 1 January 2026 are no longer authorised to provide personal advice to retail clients.
