On 24 July 2026, the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) issued a comprehensive Guidance Note to assist Reporting Crypto-Asset Service Providers (RCASPs) in complying with the dedicated reporting framework under the Income-tax Act, 2025 (Income-tax Act) and the Income-tax Rules, 2026 (Income-tax Rules) for reporting crypto asset transactions. The reporting obligations arise under section 509 of the Income-tax Act, with the corresponding due diligence and reporting requirements prescribed under Rules 241 to 244 and Form 167 of the Income-tax Rules.
The framework implements the OECD’s Crypto-Asset Reporting Framework (CARF), developed at the request of the G20 to provide standardised, automatic exchange of tax-relevant information on crypto-asset transactions between participating jurisdictions. CARF addresses gaps in existing information frameworks, including the Common Reporting Standard (CRS) and the Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (FATCA), which were not designed specifically