In a statement to the Australian Securities Exchange, Afterpay Touch Group said it would defer plans to raise up to AUD30m ($20.8m) until after the results of an external audit over suspected non-compliance with anti-money-laundering rules.

The company has provided the Australian Transaction Reports and Analysis Centre (AUSTRAC) with details of three candidates for conducting the external audit and Afterpay’s board has established a dedicated sub-committee charged with assisting and reporting to the board in relation to the oversight and management of the external audit process.

The company said it will approach the audit process ‘as an opportunity to ensure that our AML/CTF compliance is robust. Afterpay is taking the audit very seriously’.