Crypto & taxes: Automatic exchange of information in Switzerland from 2026 – what you need to know

From classic AEOI to AEOI for crypto assets

Since 2018, Switzerland has been participating in the automatic exchange of information on financial accounts with over 100 countries, including all major financial centers. However, so far only traditional assets – bank balances, custody accounts and interest – have been included. Cryptocurrencies, tokens and other digital assets have been left out.

To close this gap, the Federal Council has decided to implement the OECD’s Crypto Asset Reporting Framework (CARF). In future, this should ensure that crypto assets are treated in the same way as traditional investments for tax purposes. The aim is to create tax transparency, prevent tax evasion and combat money laundering.

Status of implementation (December 2025)

The consultation on the new regulations was completed in November 2024. On February 19, 2025, the Federal Council adopted the draft to extend the AEOI to digital assets. Parliament approved the implementation in September. The new regulations will therefore enter into force on January 1, 2026 and the first exchange of data will take place in 2027 (see press release from the State Secretariat for International Financial Matters [SIF]). From then on, Switzerland is expected to exchange information on crypto assets with 74 partner states, whereby the USA, China and Saudi Arabia in particular will not be included. Switzerland is expected to conclude a separate data exchange agreement with the USA in the near future.

This makes it clear that relevant transactions with crypto assets that fall under CARF must be reported from January 1, 2026. Swiss crypto investors and service providers have around one year to prepare for the new reporting obligations and documentation requirements.

Who is affected by the new exchange of information

On the one hand, the expanded system is aimed at providers of crypto services – in particular banks, crypto exchanges, brokers, custodians or platforms that process transactions for clients or hold crypto assets in custody. In future, they will have to record customer data, document transactions and report them to the tax authorities, similar to banks in the traditional AEOI.

On the other hand, the reform affects private individuals who hold or trade certain crypto assets. In future, their holdings and income will no longer be recorded exclusively through self-declaration, but also through automatic data exchange. Anyone holding such crypto assets should therefore ensure that all values appear completely and correctly in their tax return – because from 2027, the tax authorities will receive corresponding control information from abroad.

Self-custody does not protect against transparency. Anyone who does not hold their cryptocurrencies via a service provider, but instead stores the access keys themselves, could temporarily avoid the exchange of information. However, this approach has a crucial catch: as long as the crypto assets are in your own wallet, they remain economically isolated. At the latest when they are converted into traditional currencies or transferred via regulated platforms, the due diligence and reporting obligations of the service providers come into effect – provided the transaction takes place in an AEOI member state. According to estimates, around 80 percent of all crypto assets end up in the regulated area at some point, which means they are ultimately subject to the exchange of information (source: NZZ, “Anonymous my ass: Crypto assets are also to be subject to the global exchange of information by tax authorities in future”, September 8, 2025).

Which crypto values are reported

The new regime uses a very broad definition of “crypto asset”. It includes all digital representations of values that are based on a blockchain or comparable distributed ledger technology and are used for payment, exchange or investment purposes (“relevant crypto value”).

In particular, known cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin, Ether or Solana, but also stablecoins, tokenized assets and non-fungible tokens (NFTs), provided they are used for payment or investment purposes, must be reported. Central bank digital currencies (CBDC) and e-money products, which are already covered by the classic AEOI, are not included.

However, personal or non-tradable NFTs, such as NFTs with no market value, or internal utility tokens used solely for access to platform functions are exempt from the reporting obligation. Swaps between non-relevant crypto assets are also not subject to the reporting obligation. However, if a relevant crypto asset is exchanged for a non-relevant crypto asset, the transaction is reportable to the extent that the relevant crypto asset is affected. Whenever a relevant crypto asset is part of the transaction, this triggers the reporting obligation.

Which transactions are subject to the reporting obligation

The new reporting obligations cover far more than the classic purchase or sale of cryptocurrencies. All transactions in which relevant crypto assets are transferred or exchanged are recorded.

In particular, this includes transactions in which relevant crypto assets are exchanged for other crypto assets or vice versa or for legal tender (fiat currencies) – for example, an exchange of Bitcoin for Ether or Bitcoin for Swiss francs. Transfers between two reportable providers of crypto services (e.g. exchanges or custodians) are also included. Payments from a platform to a private crypto address (self-custody wallet) and the reverse process, when crypto assets are transferred from an external crypto address to a platform subject to reporting requirements, are also subject to reporting requirements.

Even internal transfers between different user accounts on the same trading platform may be subject to reporting if there is a change of beneficial ownership or the platform operator cannot clearly distinguish between own and third-party transactions.

In addition, staking income, mining rewards or airdrops may also fall under the reporting obligation – especially if they represent an economically relevant increase in assets and are processed via a provider of crypto services subject to reporting requirements.

Which data is exchanged

In future, reporting providers of crypto services will have to submit extensive information about their customers and their transactions to the tax authorities. The requirements are based on the OECD standard and are similar in content to the previous AEOI for bank accounts, but are tailored to the peculiarities of digital assets.

First of all, the identification data of the persons concerned are reported – i.e. name, address, tax identification number (TIN), country of residence and, in the case of natural persons, date and place of birth. If a legal entity is listed as a client, the corresponding details of the controlling persons are also reported.

The details of the reporting provider are also passed on, i.e. the name, address and any identification number of the crypto service provider.

Aggregated transaction data must then be reported for each type of relevant crypto asset with which transactions were carried out in the reporting year. This includes in particular

• the total amounts and quantities of purchases and sales against fiat currencies,
• the aggregated market values and units of transactions between different crypto assets,
• the total value of transfers, both to the user and from the user to third parties,
• as well as the total number and market value of so-called “reportable retail transactions“, i.e. individual payment or transfer transactions in retail trade above the threshold of USD 50,000 defined in the standard.

The reported data relates to gross values and unit numbers; tax gains or losses are not reported directly. However, they can be derived from the reported amounts and comparative data from the tax return (see OECD: International Standards for Automatic Exchange of Information in Tax Matters – Crypto-Asset Reporting Framework and 2023 update to the Common Reporting Standard, page 72 and explanatory report of the Federal Council on the E-AIAG, consultation November 15, 2024).

Tax implications for Swiss investors

In Switzerland, the tax principle remains unchanged:
Private capital gains from the sale of cryptocurrencies are tax-free as long as there is no commercial trading activity. Gains from occasional reallocations or long-term holding (“holding”) therefore do not have to be taxed as income.

The situation is different for current income:
Income from staking, airdrops, interest from lending or income from DeFi protocols is generally considered taxable income. In addition, all crypto assets are subject to annual wealth tax at market value as at December 31.

The extended AEOI will make it easier for tax authorities to identify unclearly declared crypto holdings or missing income. Anyone who has not yet fully completed their tax returns can often still benefit from a penalty-free voluntary disclosure until the first data exchange – provided it is the first.

Practical Recommendations

For private investors, the expansion of the AEOI means one thing above all: transparency is mandatory. All crypto-assets should be properly documented and documented with market values. Income from staking or lending should be included in the tax return in the same way as traditional investment income.

Even those who trade more frequently should check whether their activity is still considered private asset management or already commercial trading. The criteria of the Federal Tax Administration or a tax ruling can help to clarify this. If necessary, the assets being traded can also be transferred to a separate legal entity to ensure that frequent trading does not also “infect” the other assets as commercial.

Anyone who has provided incomplete information in previous years should correct this in good time. Once the data exchange has started, it is usually too late to submit a voluntary disclosure without penalty.

Conclusion

The automatic exchange of information for crypto assets brings a new reality: relevant crypto assets that are traded or held via reportable providers of crypto services will become as transparent as bank accounts for tax purposes. Now is the right time for investors to check their holdings and income, secure evidence and optimize their own declaration practices.

BrinerTax Insight:
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FAQ – Frequently Asked Questions about the Crypto AEOI

About the Author

Adrian Briner
Certified Swiss Tax Expert / Certified Public Accountant
Founder and Owner of Briner Tax Advisory AG

With over 15 years of experience in Swiss and international tax law, Adrian Briner advises companies, entrepreneurs and private individuals on key tax issues – from crypto taxation and restructuring to international rulings.

What you can expect: practical solutions, documented legal certainty, and privacy by design. Client data is processed exclusively in Switzerland, end-to-end encrypted.

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