Macropod

Macropod is Australia's first licensed stablecoin issuer, building infrastructure for a regulated, fully-backed Australian dollar stablecoin called AUDM that operates across Ethereum, Solana, Base, and Redbelly Network.

Core Mechanism

AUDM is a fiat-backed stablecoin that maintains a 1:1 peg to the Australian dollar through full reserve backing - no algorithmic mechanisms and no partial fractional reserves. When a user or institution deposits AUD into Macropod's segregated trust accounts held at a Big 4 Australian bank, an equivalent amount of AUDM is minted and sent to the depositor's wallet. When AUDM is redeemed, the tokens are burned and the corresponding AUD is returned via bank transfer. The entire cycle - deposit, mint, transact, redeem - is designed to function within a regulated framework that satisfies both Australian financial services law and anti-money-laundering obligations.

Reserve balances are published with monthly updates and verified by an independent auditor through third-party attestations, a requirement under Macropod's Australian Financial Services Licence (AFSL 566313). The company is also registered with AUSTRAC as a digital currency exchange provider.

Regulatory Status

Macropod holds AFSL 566313, issued by the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC), and is the first stablecoin issuer in Australia to receive a standalone stablecoin licence under this framework. The company participated in Project Acacia with the Reserve Bank of Australia, where AUDM was used to settle tokenised institutional instruments including Australia's first tokenised corporate bond. This regulatory track record distinguishes AUDM from offshore or unregulated AUD-pegged alternatives.

Key Features

Multi-chain deployment. AUDM launched on Ethereum in October 2025 and has since expanded to Solana (March 2026), Base (May 2026), and Redbelly Network. Macropod has indicated it may support additional networks over time.

Institutional-grade custody. Private keys for AUDM smart contracts are managed through Fireblocks, the institutional digital asset custody platform. A partnership announced in February 2026 formalised the infrastructure arrangement.

Cross-border payments. The project targets the AUD-NZD corridor, which Macropod describes as moving approximately 45 billion AUD per day, as well as broader FX automation and global treasury workflows. Use cases include smart contract-enabled payments, AUD-denominated DeFi, real-world asset tokenisation, and government and institutional disbursements.

Exchange listings. AUDM is listed on BTC Markets, SwyftX, OKX Australia, and Independent Reserve, among others. By mid-2026, AUDM had reached second-most-traded-pair status on BTC Markets by 24-hour volume.

Stablecoin Standard membership. Macropod joined the Stablecoin Standard in January 2026, a body working to define global operational and compliance norms for stablecoin issuers.

Supported Assets

Macropod's sole issued asset is AUDM, the AUD-backed stablecoin. As of mid-2026, circulating supply was approximately 2.02 million AUDM with a total supply of 2.3 million. The supply is uncapped and expands or contracts dynamically as users mint and redeem against the reserve.

Security and Audit Status

AUDM smart contracts have been audited by OpenZeppelin, the established smart contract security firm. Reserve backing is confirmed through monthly independent auditor attestations. Private key security is handled through Fireblocks. CoinMarketCap reports a CertiK security score of 3.4/10, though this metric reflects automated analysis and may not account for the off-chain trust account structure or regulatory audit requirements that differentiate licensed stablecoin issuers from unregulated ones.

Team

Macropod is structured as a joint venture between MHC Digital Group and Catena Digital.

Drew Bradford (CEO) brings 35 years in global finance, with prior roles at National Australia Bank and Deutsche Bank.

Delia Burrage (COO and General Counsel) covers legal and operational functions.

Robert Waugh (CTO) has a background in physics applied to financial systems.

Catena Digital was founded by former National Australia Bank executives, which informs the team's banking compliance orientation and the emphasis on regulatory-first product design.

Funding

Betashares led a funding round valuing Macropod at approximately 50 million AUD, with participation from Galaxy Digital and Flowdesk.

Solana Ecosystem Fit

Macropod expanded AUDM to Solana in March 2026, bringing a regulated, AFSL-licensed AUD stablecoin to the network. On Solana, AUDM enables faster, lower-cost AUD-denominated transactions compared to Ethereum while maintaining the same reserve backing and compliance framework. The integration opens pathways for AUD-denominated DeFi - including lending, liquidity pools, and smart contract automation - and positions AUDM as on-chain settlement infrastructure for Australian institutions and payments companies building on Solana. With Solana's programmability and transaction throughput, AUDM can address use cases in cross-border FX, real-world asset tokenisation, and institutional treasury workflows that require a compliant, audited AUD denominator.