AFCA Discontinues Member Certificates to Switch to Digital-First Verification

The Australian Financial Complaints Authority (AFCA) has announced that it will no longer issue physical or digital membership certificates from the 2025–26 financial year, shifting instead to a digital-first verification process. 

This change means members will not receive a certificate after paying their annual registration fee from the end of May 2025. Instead, AFCA’s online Financial Firm Search will become the primary tool for confirming a financial firm’s membership. 

AFCA’s decision is driven by a combination of factors: 

• Preventing misuse: The move aims to combat fraudulent use of AFCA membership certificates, which have occasionally been misrepresented or used misleadingly. 
• Reducing administrative burden: Eliminating certificates will lessen administrative overhead for both AFCA and its members. 
• Enhancing trust: The real-time Financial Firm Search tool offers consumers more reliable and transparent confirmation of a firm's current membership status. 
• Despite the removal of certificates, members remain entitled to use AFCA’s name, logo, and contact details in their customer-facing materials, in line with AFCA guidelines.  

How to Prove Membership or Payment 

Those seeking to verify a firm's membership with AFCA, can use the Financial Firm Search available on AFCA’s website. This tool provides up-to-date information about a firm's membership status. For confirmation of payment, AFCA members can use invoices located within the AFCA Member Portal. 

For more information, visit the AFCA Membership section on AFCA’s website or contact the member support team.