"Now that James Shipton has clearly settled into the role, it's an opportunity for me to leave just a few months earlier at the end of the year."

He said it was a "good time" to move on, adding that it had "never been my view that commission positions are jobs for life".

Mr Kell's resignation is effective from December, and he will remain on active duties until then. He pointed to the "very busy" period ahead for ASIC over the next few months, saying there were significant investigations and enforcement actions in train, on top of the royal commission.

He said he was proud of the work ASIC did in aiding Indigenous consumers that "doesn't necessarily receive the profile" of other issues, and also pointed to ASIC's work on the 'fees for no service' scandal and add-on insurance at car yards, which was examined by the royal commission on Tuesday.

But Mr Kell acknowledged there were "always areas where regulators like ASIC can look to do better, can look to improve the ways that we take on matters," he said. "We need to make sure we're not defensive and we're ready to learn." He added that ASIC needed to continue to push for the powers it needed to perform its role.