Switzerland has postponed the implementation of rules for the automatic exchange of crypto account information with overseas tax agencies until 2027. The country is still in the process of determining which specific nations it will share this data with.
The Crypto-Asset Reporting Framework (CARF) rules are set to be officially incorporated into law on January 1, 2026, as initially planned. However, their actual implementation will not commence until at least one year later, according to statements from the Swiss Federal Council and the State Secretariat for International Finance on Wednesday.
The government's tax committee has suspended deliberations regarding the partner states with which Switzerland intends to exchange data in accordance with CARF, citing this as the reason for the delay.
The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) approved CARF in 2022. This framework is part of a global initiative to facilitate the sharing of crypto account data with participating governments, aiming to combat tax evasion facilitated by crypto platforms.
The Swiss government's announcement also detailed a series of amendments to its domestic crypto tax reporting laws. These amendments include transitional provisions designed to simplify compliance with CARF rules for local crypto firms.
In June, the Swiss Federal Council had advanced a bill to adopt the CARF rules, with an expected implementation in January 2026. At that time, the first exchange of crypto account data was anticipated for 2027. However, the precise timeline for this information exchange is now uncertain.
Global Adoption of CARF
According to OECD documents, 75 countries, including Switzerland, have committed to enacting CARF within the next two to four years.
The OECD documents also indicate that Argentina, El Salvador, Vietnam, and India are among the countries that have not yet signed on to the framework.
International Developments in Crypto Taxation
Earlier this month, Reuters reported that the Brazilian government is considering a tax on international crypto transfers as part of its efforts to align domestic regulations with CARF standards.
In parallel, the US White House recently reviewed a proposal from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) to join CARF. This move is part of a broader initiative to implement more stringent capital gains tax reporting rules for American taxpayers who utilize foreign exchanges.