The Australian Securities and Investments Commission’s (ASIC) MoneySmart website has won an outstanding website award.

ASIC took the prize in the government category at the US Web Marketing Association’s 2012 Web Awards.

Since the website’s launch in March last year it has had 2.7 million unique visitors, 1000 “likes” on Facebook, almost 2000 Twitter followers and 145,000 app downloads, the regulator says.

ASIC has also launched a “spending habits” smartphone app, financial literacy programs in primary schools and a financial health check campaign.

“We had nearly 23,000 people do the health check last week, so it was a very successful campaign,” ASIC Chairman Greg Medcraft told the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Corporations and Financial Services.

The website helps Australians manage their money and covers credit, budgeting, insurance, superannuation, investing and scams.