First Webinar of CATA’s Cryptocurrency and Digital Assets Working Group

The CATA Working Group on Cryptocurrency and Digital Assets held virtually on 16 May 2025. The session focused on legislative frameworks and reporting mechanisms to support the taxation of cryptocurrencies. The session addressed the growing interest and ownership of crypto assets across Commonwealth countries and the resulting challenges for tax administrations. A presentation was delivered on legislative approaches, followed by a Q&A, targeting officials responsible for developing or implementing crypto tax policies.

The session was joined by more than 100 members from across all jurisdictions for its inaugural webinar on approaches to crypto-asset taxation. Hosted by the Chair, Baharuddin Abdul Kadir, and moderated by Vice Chair Laban Simbeye, it was a lively discussion that set the foundations for further work on crypto taxation.

Aysha Osborne, Assistant Director, Crypto Assets and Cyber, at the Australian Taxation Office, set the scene with an introduction to some of the key concepts of crypto-assets, and Liang Tang, Lead Policy Adviser, Crypto-Assets at HM Revenue and Customs gave an overview of legislative considerations for administrations.

Key insights included:

• Possible strategies for classifying crypto-assets in different tax administrations (for example, both HMRC and ATO group crypto-assets with other assets, but this is not the only pathway).

• The importance of engagement with the diverse taxpayer base – many potential taxpayers are hobby investors who may not be aware of their obligations.

• The use of a multitude of data sources to paint a full picture of a taxpayer’s obligations, and the importance of data protection in this work.

Participants also heard from the Working Group’s Expert Support, Ervice Tchouata, OECD Global Forum, who provided important insight into how the Crypto-Asset Reporting Framework helps an administration gather evidence necessary for compliance work.

The Working Group is part of CATA’s rich peer-to-peer learning offer covering a range of tax topics. Further webinars and discussions will build on CATA members’ knowledge of crypto-assets, and in the meantime, members can access a recording of the session on the Knowledge Sharing Platform.