India tightens crypto tax oversight with new reporting guidelines for exchanges

The Central Board of Direct Taxes issues detailed compliance rules for virtual digital assets, aligning with G20 standards without altering existing levy rates.

By Handelsavisen Newsroom · Automated 2026-07-26 14:07 UTC · 1 min read

India’s Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) has released comprehensive guidance for crypto-asset service providers, mandating stricter reporting requirements under the Income-tax Act, 2025.

The new framework aims to enhance transparency in the virtual digital asset (VDA) sector by clarifying compliance obligations for exchanges and custodians.

The guidelines do not introduce new tax rates or alter the existing 30% levy on crypto gains.

The guidelines do not introduce new tax rates or alter the existing 30% levy on crypto gains.

Instead, they focus on operational compliance, requiring platforms to report transaction data more rigorously.

This move aligns India’s domestic regulations with the Crypto-Asset Reporting Framework (CARF), which has been endorsed by the G20 as a key enhancement to international tax information exchange standards.

This development follows earlier reporting norms issued by India’s Information Technology department, which sought to tighten oversight on VDA transactions without changing the tax structure.