Final · Effective · Applies to VASPs, Banks, Fund managers
The Minister for Finance made the Income Tax (International Tax Compliance Agreements) (Crypto-Asset Reporting Framework) Regulations 2026 (S 551/2026), and IRAS published its CARF e-Tax Guide, on 11 August 2026. From 1 January 2027, crypto-asset service providers with a Singapore nexus must carry out due diligence on users and file an annual return; those caught in 2027 must register with IRAS by 31 March 2028. Amendments to the Common Reporting Standard regulations (S 552/2026) take effect on the same date, and IRAS intends to start CARF exchanges from September 2028.
Why it matters: Singapore's crypto platforms now have a fixed date to collect tax residence from every user, and the nexus test reaches firms that are managed or have a branch in Singapore even if MAS does not license them. R.M.
The CARF Regulations give effect to the OECD’s Crypto-Asset Reporting Framework (CARF), which is reproduced in the Schedule (reg 2). They come into operation on 1 January 2027 (reg 1).
Who. A “reporting Singaporean crypto-asset service provider” is one that is tax resident in Singapore, incorporated in Singapore, managed from Singapore, has a regular place of business in Singapore, or has a Singapore branch through which relevant transactions take place (reg 5).
Registration. A provider in scope at any time in 2027 must apply to register with the Comptroller by 31 March 2028. Later entrants register by 31 March of the following year (reg 7(1)).
Due diligence. Providers must establish every tax residence of each user, and of controlling persons of entity users, even where the user is not resident in a reportable jurisdiction (reg 11(1) and (2)).
Reporting. An annual return is due by 31 May for calendar year 2027 onwards. A nil return is required if nothing is reportable (reg 12).
Exemption. A provider that fully reports in another CARF jurisdiction can notify IRAS instead of reporting in Singapore (reg 10).
Failure to register, report or notify without reasonable excuse is an offence under section 105M of the Income Tax Act 1947 (regs 7(6), 10(6), 12(8)).
The companion CRS (Amendment) Regulations adopt the Common Reporting Standard as amended by the OECD on 8 June 2023, mostly with effect from 1 January 2027 (S 552, reg 1).
Implications
Most licensed digital payment token service providers already collect identity data for anti-money laundering checks. What’s new is the tax-residence self-certification for every user, including Singapore residents, and an annual return to IRAS. Providers will need to collect self-certifications from existing users during 2027.
The nexus test does not depend on MAS licensing. A firm managed from Singapore, or with a regular place of business there, is caught even if it serves only overseas customers. Since June 2025 such firms have needed a digital token service provider licence, which MAS has said it will generally not grant, so the CARF return gives IRAS a second view of any that remain.
The reg 10 exemption lets a group that reports in its home jurisdiction avoid duplicate reporting, but it must still notify IRAS each year.
Elsewhere in Asia
Hong Kong’s CARF bill has the same 2027 start but is still before the Legislative Council, and puts the amended CRS a year later, in 2028. India brought crypto-assets, CBDC and e-money into its CRS rules in March 2026, and its section 509 rules require CARF-style reporting from calendar year 2026, a year earlier.
What to watch
The registration window opening on IRAS’s portal, the list of reportable jurisdictions on IRAS’s website (reg 8), and the first returns due on 31 May 2028.