IRS Finalizes Regulations For Digital Asset Reporting

According to Cointelegraph, the United States Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has finalized regulations that require brokers to report digital asset transactions. These new rules, set to take effect in 2027, expand existing reporting requirements to include front-end platforms, such as decentralized exchanges. Brokers will be mandated to disclose gross proceeds from sales of cryptocurrencies and other digital assets, along with information about the taxpayers involved. The regulations specify that only trading front-end service providers in the decentralized finance (DeFi) sector are classified as brokers. This classification does not apply to all DeFi applications, focusing instead on front-ends as sources of information and tax disclosure. The IRS has defined DeFi front-ends as brokers for tax reporting purposes, encompassing platforms that perform intermediary functions in facilitating transactions, regardless of whether they operate through a legal entity. Under these new rules, if a DeFi platform facilitates the exchange or sale of digital assets, even through smart contracts, and exercises sufficient control or influence over the transaction process, it could be considered a broker. The IRS asserts that these regulations treat DeFi like any other industry, emphasizing that similar rules have applied to brokers for over 40 years. The Treasury Department and the IRS have stated that these regulations do not reflect a bias against the DeFi industry and are not intended to discourage the adoption of this technology by law-abiding customers. The new regulations will begin to apply to digital asset sales starting in 2027, with brokers required to start collecting and reporting the necessary data in 2026. The IRS estimates that between 650 and 875 DeFi brokers will be affected by these regulations, impacting up to 2.6 million taxpayers. The IRS believes that information reporting by DeFi brokers under section 6045 will lead to higher levels of taxpayer compliance, as the income earned by taxpayers engaging in digital asset transactions without a custodial broker will become more transparent to both the IRS and taxpayers.