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Digital Surge

AUSTRAC RegisteredPast Administration (2022)AU Brokerage
Trade on Digital Surge ↗

The Brisbane brokerage that fell into FTX's crater, entered administration, and chose the hard road: a five-year plan to repay users while continuing to operate.

Headquarters
Brisbane
Founded
2017
AUSTRAC
Registered - Digital Surge Pty Ltd, ABN 89 620 473 109VASP register, checked 25 Jul 2026
AU Entity
Digital Surge Pty Ltd
AUD Deposits
PayID · Osko
Model
Brokerage
Assets
300+
Coindaily Score
72 /100

Regulatory standing in Australia

Digital Surge is a Brisbane brokerage, AUSTRAC-registered and operating since 2017. Its defining chapter is its honest one: it held roughly A$33 million on FTX when the global exchange collapsed in November 2022, and entered voluntary administration weeks later.

Rather than liquidate, creditors approved a recapitalisation and five-year repayment plan in early 2023. The platform kept operating, customer trading continued, and repayments to affected users have proceeded under the plan - one of very few FTX casualties anywhere that chose to make users whole rather than wind up.

That history cuts both ways: it is a real blemish on counterparty-risk judgement, and a genuinely rare display of follow-through after failure. Both belong in the assessment.

Costs in practice

Maker
0.50%
Taker
0.50%
Typical Spread
0.50%
Effective Cost
~0.50%

Brokerage: the spread is the real cost; the headline fee is secondary. Figures match the Coindaily exchanges table and are modelled; check the live schedule before trading.

digitalsurge.com.au
Digital Surge homepage
Homepage as served to Australian visitors · captured Jun 2026

Local offerings & AUD rails

  • AUD rails: PayID and Osko with fast settlement
  • 300+ assets through a simple brokerage flow
  • Recurring buys and a deliberately simple interface
  • Repayment plan to FTX-affected users continuing alongside normal operations
  • Brisbane-based support

Where it wins

  • Chose repayment over liquidation after FTX - rare follow-through
  • Simple, clean AU brokerage with good rails
  • Wide asset range for a small venue

Where it costs you

  • 2022 administration is a permanent counterparty-risk lesson
  • Brokerage spreads around 0.5% each way
  • Smallest scale of the platforms listed here
Trading fee from
0.1% at top volume tier, 0.5% standard
https://help.digitalsurge.com.au/en/articles/11618456-understanding-trading-fees-on-digital-surge
AUD deposit
Free via PayID or bank transfer, $20 minimum
https://digitalsurge.com.au/fees/
SMSF accounts
Yes, alongside trust and business accounts
https://help.digitalsurge.com.au/en/articles/12626611-account-types-supported-by-digital-surge

What it costs

Trading fees, subscriptions, deposits and withdrawals

Standard trading feeThe rate you pay before any volume discount kicks in. It applies to buys, sells and swaps.
0.5%Digital Surge describes 0.5% as the standard rate for users who have not reached a higher volume tier
source·
Best advertised trading feeThe floor of the volume-based schedule, reached only by high volume traders.
0.1%The headline "fees from 0.1%" on the fees page is the bottom tier, not the rate a new account pays
source·
How the discount worksFees step down automatically based on your trading volume, with nothing to opt into.
Rolling 30-day volumeAutomated volume-based fees were introduced in January 2026 and apply to buys, sells, swaps, trigger orders and recurring buys
source·
Crypto to crypto swapsWhether swapping one coin for another costs you two trades or one.
Single trading feeDigital Surge charges one fee on a swap rather than a sell plus a buy
source·
AUD deposit feeWhat it costs to move Australian dollars onto the platform.
$0Free for both PayID and standard bank transfer
source·
AUD withdrawal feeWhat it costs to move Australian dollars back to your bank.
$0Digital Surge states there are no fees on AUD withdrawals
source·
Crypto withdrawal feesA flat per-asset fee charged when you send coins off the platform.
0.00003 BTC, 0.00013 ETH, 1 USDT, 0.01 SOL, 0.2 XRPPublished on a live fee table that Digital Surge notes is subject to change
source·
Card depositsWhether you can fund with a debit or credit card, which usually carries a surcharge.
Not offeredFunding is bank transfer, PayID or crypto only, so there is no card surcharge to worry about
source·

Limits and the costs that hide

Spreads, deposit caps and charges that do not appear on a fee page

Fee tier tableThe volume thresholds that decide which fee you actually pay.
Not published publiclyThe help centre explains the mechanism but directs you to your own profile to see your current tier, so you cannot compare tiers before signing up
source·
SpreadThe gap between the price you get and the market mid price. This is where brokerage-style platforms make quiet money.
Not quantifiedDigital Surge markets "tight spreads" and criticises rivals for hiding costs in spreads, but publishes no spread figure of its own
source·
Crypto withdrawal fee is inclusiveHow the network fee is taken out of a send.
Deducted from the amount you enterEnter 0.05 BTC with a 0.00003 BTC fee and the destination receives 0.04997 BTC
source·
Network fee mark-upWhether the withdrawal fee is the true chain cost or includes a margin.
Not disclosedDigital Surge shows the exact fee before you confirm but does not say whether it passes the network cost through at cost
source·
Maximum single orderThe cap on one instant buy or sell.
Up to $100,000 AUD per transactionVaries by asset, and you can place as many instant orders as you like
source·
Daily AUD limit, personal accountsHow much cash can move in or out of a personal account in a day.
$20,000 per dayApplies to both deposits and withdrawals
source·
Daily AUD limit, corporate accountsThe higher cap for SMSF, business and trust accounts.
$50,000 per dayCovers SMSF, business and trust structures
source·
Limit increase requestsThe rule that governs how often you can ask for more headroom.
One request per 30 daysYou can request either a limit increase or the enabling of crypto sends in a 30-day window, not both
source·

What you can trade

Assets, Australian dollar pairs, staking and derivatives

Assets listedHow many coins you can buy, sell and swap.
400 plusDigital Surge advertises over 400 cryptocurrencies across its site and help centre
source·
Australian dollar pairsWhether you trade directly against AUD or have to route through a stablecoin.
Direct AUD buy and sell on listed assetsBuying converts AUD to crypto and selling converts crypto back to AUD without an intermediate leg
source·
Crypto to crypto swapsDirect coin-for-coin trades without cashing out to AUD.
SupportedCharged as one trade rather than two
source·
Asset categoriesHow the listings are grouped for browsing.
AI, DeFi, gaming, Layer 1, meme, metaverse, NFT, RWACategory browsing is built into the platform
source·
Staking and earnWhether you can earn yield on holdings inside the platform.
Not part of the current feature setDigital Surge previously ran an Earn product, but staking does not appear among its listed trading features today. Confirm with support before relying on it
source·
Derivatives, margin and leverageWhether you can trade with borrowed money or take short positions.
Not offeredThe platform offers instant orders, trigger orders and recurring buys only
source·
Fiat currencies acceptedWhich national currencies you can fund with.
Australian dollars onlyFunding is AUD via PayID or bank transfer, or a crypto transfer in
source·

How your assets are held

Custody, reserves, insurance and self-custody

Who owns the coinsThe single most important line in the terms. It decides where you stand if the business fails.
Digital Surge holds legal titleThe terms state Digital Surge holds legal title to all fiat and digital assets it holds to your account
source·
Segregation of client assetsWhether your holdings sit in an account identified as yours.
Not segregated per accountDigital Surge states account balances are not segregated on a per-account basis
source·
Custodian statusWhether the platform holds itself out as a custodian or trustee for you.
Expressly not a custodianThe risk disclosure says Digital Surge does not provide custodial or fiduciary services and does not hold your digital assets for you or on your behalf
source·
InsuranceWhether your holdings are covered by a policy if something goes wrong.
No insuranceDigital Surge tells users their digital assets are not insured and suggests they consider obtaining their own cover
source·
Assurance FundAn internal pool intended to help cover a counterparty failure.
Exists, but is not insuranceHeld in Australian dollars, sized at Digital Surge's discretion from time to time, with no guarantee it will mitigate a loss
source·
Proof of reservesA published attestation that customer balances are backed one for one.
None publishedNo proof of reserves report or third party attestation appears on the security page or elsewhere on the site
source·
Storage modelHow the keys are actually managed day to day.
Majority cold storage, Fireblocks MPCA dual hot and cold wallet strategy with multi-party computation key management and annual external penetration testing
source·
Self-custody withdrawalsWhether you can move coins to your own wallet.
Supported, fee per assetCrypto sends may need to be enabled on your account first, and that request counts against the one-per-30-days rule
source·

Who can open an account

Entity types onboarded in Australia

IndividualA standard personal account owned and operated by one person.
YesThe default account type
source·
SMSFSelf-managed super funds investing in crypto through the fund.
YesA dedicated SMSF account type with its own onboarding path
source·
TrustFamily and discretionary trusts trading in the trust's name.
YesSupports both individual and corporate trustees
source·
Company or businessRegistered companies and organisations trading as a corporate entity.
YesRequires an ASIC company extract as part of verification
source·
Joint accountsTwo people sharing one account, common for couples.
Not listedDigital Surge's account types article names personal, SMSF, trust and business only
source·
Minors and under 18sAccounts held for or by children.
Not listedNo minor or custodial account type appears in the supported list
source·
SMSF paperworkWhat you need to hand over to get a fund account open.
Full trust deed, ABN, trustee proofDigital Surge states SMSF approvals are usually completed within 24 hours
source·
Funding source ruleWhose bank account the money is allowed to come from.
Own name onlyThird party deposits are rejected and returned
source·

Trading features

Order types, recurring buys, tooling and access

Instant ordersBuy or sell straight away at the best available price.
YesRouted through Digital Surge's smart routing rather than a public order book
source·
Trigger ordersSet a price and let the platform execute when it is hit. Used for take profit and stop loss.
YesFunds are not locked while the trigger waits, and fees apply only to trades that actually fill
source·
Recurring buys and DCAAutomatic scheduled purchases, the feature Digital Surge is best known for.
Yes, daily, weekly or monthlyCharged at the same volume-based trading fee as any other order
source·
Limit orders on an order bookResting orders that add liquidity and usually earn a maker discount.
NoOnly instant orders, trigger orders and recurring buys exist, so there is no maker and taker distinction
source·
Price alertsNotifications when an asset reaches a level you care about.
YesSet per asset and delivered automatically
source·
ChartingThe quality of the price charts you get inside the app.
TradingView powered chartsListed as a feature of the mobile app
source·
API accessProgrammatic access to your account data.
Read-only API keysDocumented for connecting tax and portfolio tools rather than for algorithmic trading
source·
Demo or paper tradingA practice mode to learn on before risking real money.
Not offeredNo demo account appears in Digital Surge's trading features or education material
source·

Money in and out

Minimums, methods and settlement speed

PayID and Osko depositsThe fast rail for getting cash in.
Usually under 60 secondsSome banks may hold a first PayID deposit for up to 24 hours
source·
Standard bank transferThe fallback if your bank does not do PayID.
1 to 2 business daysNear instant if your bank supports Osko or the New Payments Platform
source·
Minimum depositThe smallest amount you can put in.
$20 AUDApplies to fiat deposits
source·
Minimum AUD withdrawalThe smallest amount you can take out.
$20 AUDYour bank account links automatically after your first AUD deposit
source·
AUD withdrawal speedHow long the cash takes to land back in your bank.
Instant on Osko and NPP banksUp to 24 hours where the bank does not support fast payments
source·
First withdrawal delayA security hold applied the first time you cash out.
24 hour delayApplies to your first AUD withdrawal only
source·
Cancelling a withdrawalWhether you can pull back a request after you send it.
Not possibleDigital Surge states withdrawals cannot be cancelled once submitted
source·
Crypto depositsBringing coins in from an external wallet.
SupportedTiming depends on the blockchain network, and an AUD deposit is still needed to link your bank account
source·

Tax and reporting

What you get at tax time, and what you do not

Capital gains reportWhether the platform itself works out what you owe.
Not produced in-platformDigital Surge relies on third party tax providers, and their full capital gains and income reports sit behind paid plans
source·
Tax software integrationsWhich crypto tax tools you can connect to.
Koinly, Syla, Summ, CoinLedger, CoinTrackingConnect by read-only API key or CSV export. Summ was formerly Crypto Tax Calculator
source·
EOFY prices statementA 30 June valuation of your holdings, useful for fund and company reporting.
Available to downloadDocumented as a standard end of financial year download
source·
Transaction history exportThe raw data your accountant will ask for.
CSV, date range selectableAvailable alongside a downloadable account statement
source·
BGL data sharingDirect feed into the SMSF administration software most Australian funds use.
SupportedA meaningful advantage for SMSF trustees over exchanges that require manual imports
source·
Accountant accessLetting your adviser see the account without handing over your login.
Built-in data sharingCovers accountants and SMSF providers
source·
Portfolio return trackingWhether the app shows realised as well as unrealised gains.
Both, and you choose the methodYou can set a preferred wallet return calculation
source·
Australian tax guidancePlain English help on how the ATO treats crypto.
In-house guideCovers capital gains and treatment of staking rewards as income
source·

Platform and support

Apps, account security and how you reach a human

Mobile appsNative apps for phone trading.
iOS and AndroidThe iOS app is published by Digital Surge Pty Ltd and rated 4.1 from 423 ratings on the Australian store
source·
Android appThe Google Play listing.
AvailablePublished under the package au.com.digitalsurge
source·
Live chatThe fastest way to get a person.
365 days a yearAustralian-based team, with response times typically within a few minutes
source·
Tickets and emailThe slower channel for anything that needs a paper trail.
24/7 ticket submissionAnswered by the same Australian support team
source·
Phone and account managersWhether you can actually speak to someone.
Specialist appointments availableYou book a time with an account manager rather than calling a general hotline. The app listing also lists phone support
source·
Two-factor authenticationWhether 2FA is optional or forced.
Compulsory for all usersA second verification step is also required on withdrawals
source·
Withdrawal address controlsProtection against an attacker sending your coins somewhere new.
New addresses need email confirmation and 2FAYou can also restrict external transfers entirely, and accounts can be locked instantly if unauthorised access is detected
source·
EducationLearning material for people new to crypto.
In-house guides hubBeginner guides on blockchain, research, strategy and portfolio diversification
source·

Trust and regulation

The entity you are actually contracting with

Legal entityThe company name on your customer agreement.
Digital Surge Pty Ltd, ACN 620 473 109ABN 89 620 473 109, an active Australian private company registered in Queensland since July 2017
source·
AUSTRAC registrationThe mandatory digital currency exchange registration for Australian platforms.
Registered, number 100576214Stated in Digital Surge's own terms and conditions
source·
Australian Financial Services LicenceWhether the platform is licensed by ASIC to deal in financial products.
No AFSLThe terms state Digital Surge does not hold or operate under an AFSL and does not offer financial advice. AUSTRAC registration is an anti money laundering measure, not consumer protection
source·
Voluntary administration, December 2022The event that matters most in this platform's history.
Administrators appointed 8 December 2022Digital Surge froze customer accounts from 16 November 2022 with roughly A$33m of customer-related assets trapped in the FTX collapse. About 22,000 to 22,500 customers were affected. KordaMentha was appointed administrator
source·
Deed of company arrangementThe rescue deal creditors voted for instead of liquidation.
Approved January 2023, signed 15 February 2023Creditors voted it up with about 90% support, backed by a A$1.25m loan from related business Digico. The exchange resumed trading rather than being wound up
source·
What customers actually got backThe recovery rate, which is the number that matters. Customers were not made whole.
Estimated 55% of claim value, plus the rest over five yearsATO class ruling CR 2024/50 records that the DOCA provided customers and unsecured trade creditors an estimated 55% of the AUD value of their claim as at 8 December 2022. Balances under A$250 were repaid in full. The remainder was to be paid from company profits over five years
source·
Where the DOCA stands nowWhether the company is still under external administration.
DOCA terminated, claims moved to a Creditors' TrustOn termination Digital Surge was released from participating creditors' claims and each creditor became a beneficiary of a Creditors' Trust instead. The trading company is no longer in external administration
source·
Ownership todayWho controls the business now.
Privately held, Australian owned and operatedBrisbane based and still run by its founders. It was not acquired or absorbed by a larger group after the administration
source·

Figures are read from Digital Surge's own published schedules and disclosures. Crypto platforms change pricing and product availability often - click source on any row to check it yourself, and dispute anything that looks wrong.

Frequently asked questions

What happened to Digital Surge in 2022?

It held about A$33 million on FTX when FTX collapsed, and entered voluntary administration. Creditors approved a recapitalisation in early 2023 with a five-year plan to repay affected users while the platform kept operating.

Is it safe to use now?

It is AUSTRAC-registered and has operated continuously through the repayment plan. The 2022 episode is the key risk datum - weigh it against the repayment follow-through, and never hold more on any platform than you can tolerate losing.

What does it cost?

Around 0.5% each way through the brokerage spread - similar to other local brokerages, more than order-book venues.

Registrations, licences and product availability change. Check the current AUSTRAC Virtual Asset Service Provider Register and the platform's own disclosures before depositing. This page is general information only, not financial advice, and may contain modelled figures.

Compare with

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