OECD CARF India: Crypto Regulations, Tax Rules, and Global Compliance

When you hold crypto in India, the OECD CARF, the Common Reporting Standard developed by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development to exchange financial account data between countries. Also known as CRS, it's not just a paperwork rule—it's the backbone of how tax authorities now see your crypto holdings across borders. India adopted CARF in 2023 to match global standards, meaning banks, exchanges, and even wallet providers must report your crypto transactions to the tax department, which then shares them with over 100 other countries. This isn’t about banning crypto—it’s about tracking it.

This changes everything for Indian crypto users. If you’ve ever used Binance, BitOffer, or even a non-custodial wallet like Trust Wallet and moved funds over $10,000, that activity is now visible to Indian tax officials—and possibly to the IRS, HMRC, or EU authorities. The 30% crypto tax, India’s flat tax on capital gains from digital assets is already harsh, but CARF makes hiding transactions nearly impossible. Even if you think you’re safe because you’re not on an exchange, CARF forces financial institutions to report any crypto-related activity tied to Indian residents. And it’s not just about income—it includes staking rewards, DeFi yields like asUSDF, a yield-bearing stablecoin from the Aster ecosystem that pays up to 15% APY, and token swaps on DEXs like Uniswap or PancakeSwap.

What does this mean for you? If you’re using crypto for remittances, inflation protection, or global trading, you’re no longer in the shadows. The FATF Travel Rule, a global standard requiring crypto exchanges to share sender and receiver info for transfers over $1,000 works hand-in-hand with CARF. So when you send LRDS from BLOCKLORDS or RLB from Rollbit to another wallet, that trail can be traced back to your identity. And if you’ve considered relocating for tax benefits—say, to the UAE, a jurisdiction offering zero capital gains tax on crypto as of 2025—you need to know that moving won’t erase your Indian reporting obligations if you’re still a tax resident.

The posts below cut through the noise. You’ll find real breakdowns of how India’s 30% tax and 1% TDS interact with CARF, why non-custodial wallets aren’t banned but are practically unusable under these rules, and how global crypto hubs like the UAE, Georgia, or Malta are becoming escape routes for high-net-worth holders. You’ll also see how scams like fake airdrops (REVV, BIRD, YAE) thrive in the confusion around regulation—and how to protect yourself. This isn’t theory. It’s what’s happening right now, on your screen, in your wallet, and in your tax return.