IMF Includes Bitcoin and Other Digital Assets in Global Economic Data Standard for First Time

On March 23rd, according to CrowFund Insider. On March 20th, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) issued the seventh edition of the "Balance of Payments Manual" (BPM7). For the first time, it included digital assets such as cryptocurrencies in the global economic reporting framework, marking the first update to the manual since 2009. Under the new framework, digital assets were divided into fungible tokens and non-fungible tokens and further classified based on whether they carried related liabilities. Non-endorsed assets like Bitcoin were classified as non-produced non-financial assets and attributed to the capital account. Digital currencies supported by liabilities like stablecoins were considered financial instruments. Platform tokens like ETH and SOL, if held across borders, might be classified as quasi-equity instruments. Staking and cryptocurrency yield activities were regarded as sources of dividend income. Mining and staking-related services were recognized as exportable computer services. The IMF planned to promote the widespread adoption of BPM7 and the latest System of National Accounts by 2029-2030.