Dubai to Data-Sharing: UAE Jumps Into OECD’s Crypto Tax Pool
The United Arab Emirates just cannon-balled into the deep end of global tax transparency. By signing the OECD’s Crypto-Asset Reporting Framework (CARF), the Gulf nation has agreed to start automatically swapping crypto tax data with fellow signatories in 2028,a move Bitget calls a bid to ensure that digital assets are "no longer a blind spot" for tax enforcement (Bitget).
What’s the big deal? Until now, the UAE’s fast-growing crypto sector enjoyed a relatively light touch on disclosure. CARF changes the rules of the game: exchanges, wallet providers, and custodians will have to collect and transmit detailed information on user identities, wallet balances, and cross-border transfers. This reform echoes broader global moves to tighten tax regulations, as detailed in Nigerian Tax Laws 2025 - Comprehensive Tax Reform Legislation.
The UAE Ministry of Finance framed the decision as reputation management. Signing the multilateral pact "reinforces its status as a compliant global hub," CryptoDnes reports. The first batch of data will flow in 2028, giving firms roughly two years after the 2027 rollout to get their know-your-customer (KYC) tech in order.
The reaction was swift. Tax advisors say CARF will push crypto players toward bank-grade compliance. "If you thought CRS was tough, wait until you see the crypto version," one Dubai-based consultant told Blockworks (Blockworks). Expect a scramble for specialist software and a fresh wave of policies aimed at preventing tax evasion via digital assets.
Around the Tax World
• German law firm bets on London: Munich-headquartered ADVANT Beiten has opened a U.K. office to chase cross-border tax enforcement mandates, International Tax Review says (International Tax Review).
• AI is moving from hype to habit: Corporate tax teams are already using large language models to automate R&D credit claims and streamline global compliance, according to a new webinar recap by Thomson Reuters. For further insights into how digital innovation is reshaping taxation, see Nigeria’s New Tax Playbook Ruffles Aviation, Woos Big Tech.
• Future tax talent gets a workout: Second-year student Symone Gibbs ’26L snagged the 2025 Halper Award at the International Tax Moot Court Competition, Washington and Lee University reports.
By the Numbers
Tax Stat of the Day: 2028 , the first year the UAE will begin automatic exchange of crypto tax data under CARF, marking a new era of global digital-asset disclosure (Bitget).
Looking Ahead
All eyes now turn to the OECD’s final implementation handbook,expected next year, which will spell out the nitty-gritty reporting templates that crypto intermediaries must adopt. Get those APIs ready.