IMF includes Bitcoin and other digital assets in the global economic report framework for the first time

Odaily Planet Daily reports that the International Monetary Fund (IMF) released the seventh edition of the "Balance of Payments Manual" (BPM7) on March 20, for the first time incorporating digital assets such as cryptocurrencies into the global economic reporting framework. This is the first update to this manual since 2009. According to the new framework, digital assets are divided into fungible tokens and non-fungible tokens, and further classified based on whether they bear related liabilities:

- Unendorsed assets like Bitcoin are categorized as unproductive non-financial assets and fall under capital accounts;
- Digital currencies supported by liabilities such as stablecoins are considered financial instruments;
- Platform tokens like ETH, SOL may be classified as equity-like instruments if held cross-border;
- Staking and cryptocurrency income activities are seen as sources of dividend income;
- Mining and staking-related services have been identified as exportable computer services. (CrowFund Insider)

The IMF plans to promote widespread adoption of BPM7 and the latest national account system before 2029-2030.