HardBlock: Bitcoin pricing, automated purchases and self-custody transfers

HardBlock’s purchase workflow begins with a verified phone number and funded AUD balance. The customer enters a Bitcoin amount or chooses the maximum purchase, reviews the quoted conversion and confirms. This is a quote-based buying workflow. The reviewed instructions do not establish a customer order book, maker queue or exchange-style order-routing controls.[9]

For receipt-triggered automation, the applicable dealing price is the price when HardBlock receives the funds, not when the customer sends them. A delayed bank payment or Bitcoin confirmation can therefore change execution. The automation terms also say a Bitcoin deposit disables Auto-Send. Inspect the active settings after making an inbound crypto transfer rather than assuming the previous withdrawal rule remains enabled.[10]

The fee page also lists the first two hours of high-value consultation as free and subsequent time at A$150 per hour. Confirm the engagement and scope before booking additional time. This is a service charge separate from the dealing spread and should not be treated as a universal hourly account-maintenance fee.[4]

The network-fee guide describes a simplified on-chain estimate using a 200-vbyte transaction size and the selected priority rate, with a small rate adjustment. This is an operator pricing convention, not proof that every eventual transaction has that physical size. The fee and the AUD equivalent shown on the send screen are the useful checks for the transaction actually being requested.[13]

Exceeding the deposit allowance can put the whole deposit into manual review and temporarily pause Bitcoin withdrawals. The limit FAQ says customers can still trade their existing Bitcoin, sell it for AUD and withdraw AUD while that issue is addressed. These are different permissions: do not infer that every action is frozen, or that a permitted sale releases the unapproved deposit.[8]

Current terms restrict Bitcoin transfers to and from the customer’s own self-custodial addresses, including a prohibition on a friend’s self-hosted wallet. Depositing from a bank account outside the customer’s control can lead to suspension. Ordinary Bitcoin holdings also remain subject to the operator’s security processing, including possible delays of days when the small live-wallet balance needs replenishment.[3]

HardBlock’s July 2026 transfer FAQ requires an attestation that the customer controls the relevant private keys. Its initial Lightning implementation identifies non-custodial configurations of Wallet of Satoshi, Phoenix and Alby; another wallet or a personally operated Lightning node may require support. A wallet brand alone is insufficient because a custodial configuration does not meet the stated own-key requirement.[16]

HardBlock explicitly describes Bitcoin left in the exchange account as custodial. Its September policy explanation distinguishes that balance from assets transferred into a wallet for which the customer holds the keys. Until a withdrawal completes to such a wallet, the customer still depends on HardBlock’s processing and access arrangements; an intention to self-custody is not the same as having completed the transfer.[26]

The terms say HardBlock would endeavour to repay customers after a theft while disclaiming an obligation to reimburse in that circumstance. That language does not establish insured cover or a guaranteed recovery. The reviewed materials did not verify an insurance policy limit, beneficiary or customer compensation scheme.[3]

The lost-authenticator procedure is deliberately slower than an ordinary login. Support asks for a verification call scheduled after a two-day buffer, followed by a selfie with identification and a dated authorisation note. Use the email address already recorded on the account. This published recovery procedure should be distinguished from a promised two-day resolution: the call, evidence review and restoration still need to be completed.[15]

The privacy policy requires users to be over 16 and to provide sufficient identity documents before AUD funding or Bitcoin trading. It lists possible documents such as a passport, driver licence, utility bill or citizenship certificate, with name, address, date of birth and phone details. The Australian-focused service should not be read as a verified worldwide eligibility list; overseas cases require confirmation.[22]

The current signup guide describes identity verification, SMS phone verification and a human verification call after the first deposit, usually arranged within a working day. It says setup completes four days after that first AUD deposit before Bitcoin withdrawals become available. Allow for both the elapsed time and successful verification. This differs from the seven-day restriction documented for withdrawing AUD.[12]

SMSF accounts have a separate onboarding process because the documents and account ownership differ from individual accounts. The dedicated help article directs applicants to [email protected] for guidance. Confirm which trustee or fund account is being opened and obtain the required document list before transferring funds; an existing personal login does not by itself establish an SMSF trading relationship.[19]

The published customer contact is [email protected]. The help page states a response target within one business day, usually sooner. This is a company target rather than a measured support test, and it does not establish a round-the-clock live desk. Include the relevant transaction identifier, amount and time in a service query so that bank receipt, account crediting and blockchain confirmation can be distinguished.[18]

Monthly and financial-year account statements are available in the Statements area, while deposit, purchase and withdrawal emails can be selected through Settings. During an apparent interruption, preserve the last confirmation and inspect the account history when access returns. An email preference is a notification control; it should not be mistaken for enabling or disabling the underlying savings plan.[17]

HardBlock’s homepage states that the business is ASIC and AUSTRAC registered. This review did not obtain a readable entity-level result from AUSTRAC’s public VASP register. Accordingly, no independently verified financial-services licence or VASP permission is asserted here. Check the legal entity, current status, service scope and any conditions rather than treating a homepage registration badge as a complete permission record.[1][25]

AUSTRAC’s current guidance describes information collection, verification and sharing obligations for relevant value transfers. It does not make HardBlock’s particular own-wallet-only product design a universal rule for every Australian venue. That restriction is the operator’s chosen implementation and remains a material limit on how customers may use this account.[24]

The operator is Triple Link Labs Pty Ltd, ABN 74 624 353 331 and ACN 624 353 331. Its company page says Daniel Wilczynski founded HardBlock in 2014. It also describes the 2025 launch of Guardblock as a collaborative Bitcoin security product with inheritance support. Guardblock’s separate arrangements should not be imported into the ordinary HardBlock exchange balance without the applicable agreement.[2]

Operator

Triple Link Labs Pty Ltd

Exchange model

Centralised

Service scope

Bitcoin/AUD buying and selling with automated accumulation and transfers.

Client types

Retail clients

Pricing publication

Public pricing

Funding scope

AUD via PayID or EFT; Bitcoin on-chain and supported Lightning wallets.

Custody and asset handling

Bitcoin held on the platform is custodial; transfers are restricted to the customer’s self-custodial wallets.

Client eligibility

Australian-facing individual and entity accounts; identity verification and funding checks required.

Support

Email support; the published target is a reply within one business day.

Authorisation and registration scope

HardBlock states it is ASIC and AUSTRAC registered. Current entity-level VASP registration was not independently confirmed from readable register results.

Exchange metadata checked 21 Oct 2026Source 1Source 2Source 4Source 6Source 9Source 12Source 14Source 18Source 25Source 26

HardBlock’s export guide provides a complete transaction-history file for use with Koinly, covering AUD and Bitcoin deposits, withdrawals and conversions. It warns that timestamps are UTC and that unnecessary editing can disrupt imports. Re-import into the same relevant wallet when updating records to reduce duplication. A full exchange export still needs reconciliation with transactions occurring in a separate wallet or another venue.[23]

The referral terms pay a verified referrer a stated 30% share of the relevant one-sided spread generated by referred activity. Credits are paid monthly on the first day when at least A$1 has accrued. They appear as affiliate AUD deposits; enabling Auto-Buy allows conversion to Bitcoin without an additional spread on that conversion. Participation and continued payments remain discretionary. This is a referral payout arrangement, not a deposit bonus guaranteed to every new customer.[20]

The separately published Pizza Day offer was limited to May 2026, with its final new-customer qualification deadline on 29 May. It is historical, not a current signup benefit. Its terms applied ordinary withdrawal and compliance rules to the satoshi reward; the existence of that old promotion does not establish a new reward entitlement in October.[21]

The privacy policy describes typical retention for seven years after the last transaction and provides a support route for privacy complaints. It also covers optional mobile push notifications, which can be disabled in device settings while other communications have separate controls. No precise dormancy-to-deactivation timer was established in the reviewed materials; changing notifications or stopping a bank standing payment should not be treated as closing the account.[22]