What is DeCripto?<br />The Guide to RFB IN 2.291/2025

DeCripto (Crypto-Asset Declaration) is the new information-reporting framework owed to the Brazilian tax authority (Receita Federal, similar to the IRS - abbreviated as RFB), created by RFB Normative Instruction 2.291/2025. Starting July 2026 it replaces IN 1.888/2019 and adopts the OECD's CARF (Crypto-Asset Reporting Framework) standard - a commitment Brazil joined in 2024 alongside more than 70 countries. Filings are submitted through e-CAC (the RFB's online portal for taxpayers) via the Coleta Nacional system.

Under IN 1.888/2019, Brazilian exchanges were already required to report all their clients' operations monthly, and the user only filed monthly when trading outside those exchanges (foreign exchanges, DEXs, P2P) above R$30,000/month. Under DeCripto (IN 2.291/2025), Brazil adopts the OECD's CARF standard, keeps the obligation on Brazilian exchanges, extends it to foreign service providers operating in Brazil, and raises the user's manual-filing threshold from R$30,000 to R$35,000/month.

No - they are distinct. The Central Bank of Brazil (BCB) regulates Virtual Asset Service Providers (PSAVs) under Law 14,478/2022 (Brazil's Virtual Assets Act), Decree 11,563/2023 (which assigns competence to the BCB), and specific BCB resolutions governing the authorization and conduct of such entities (notably Resolutions BCB 519, 520 and 521). That framework covers licensing, prudential requirements and conduct of exchanges. DeCripto, by contrast, is an ancillary tax-reporting obligation owed to Brazil's tax authority, focused on information reporting, and governed by RFB Normative Instruction 2.291/2025.

CARF (Crypto-Asset Reporting Framework) is the global standard the OECD created for automatic exchange of crypto-asset information between countries. With CARF, the expectation is that - starting in 2027, with 2026 as the base year - Brazil will automatically exchange crypto-asset data with other jurisdictions implementing the standard, today more than 70 countries. In practice, Brazil's tax authority will receive data on Brazilians from foreign exchanges and send data on foreign residents operating in Brazil. Caution: the OECD's CARF is unrelated to Brazil's domestic CARF (Conselho Administrativo de Recursos Fiscais), which is an administrative tax court.

DeCripto comes into force on July 1, 2026, replacing the current model under IN 1.888/2019, which remains valid until June 30, 2026. Up to June 2026, the existing rules apply (IN 1.888/2019). From July 2026 onward, information is filed through DeCripto via e-CAC / Coleta Nacional.

IN 1.888/2019 remains mandatory for operations occurring up to and including June 2026. If you used a foreign exchange, a DEX, or transacted directly, you are still responsible for reporting those operations under that rule until then. From July 2026 onward, the reporting duty migrates to centralized exchanges.

They remain under IN 1.888/2019 rules. If you trade on foreign exchanges (Binance, KuCoin, MEXC, Bitget, etc.) or DEXs and the monthly volume exceeds R$30,000, you must file monthly. "Waiting for DeCripto" is not an exemption - non-compliance triggers fines.

No. The annual DeCripto report is an obligation of the exchange, not the user. Individual taxpayers must still file DIRPF (the annual Brazilian income tax return) every year, listing their crypto-assets under "Assets and Rights" and any taxable income. DeCripto and DIRPF are complementary obligations.

Virtual Asset Service Providers (PSAVs) falling under the scope of IN 2.291/2025 must report - including those domiciled abroad that provide services in Brazil, for example by using a .br domain, local payment methods (such as Pix), or marketing clearly targeted at Brazilian residents. There is no exemption simply for being foreign: what matters is whether the PSAV actually provides crypto-asset services in Brazil.

Also obligated: crypto-asset custodians; staking and yield-farming-as-a-service platforms; crypto payment processors; centralized NFT marketplace operators; and any entity processing crypto-asset transfers on behalf of third parties. Purely decentralized DeFi protocols, with no identifiable controlling entity, in principle do not qualify as "crypto-asset service providers" under IN 2.291/2025 and therefore have no direct DeCripto filing obligation. In those cases, the obligation falls back on the resident user when monthly volume exceeds R$35,000.

DeCripto is a platform obligation. Even so, anyone holding crypto in a self-custody wallet must still declare those holdings in their DIRPF (under "Assets and Rights") whenever the acquisition cost exceeds R$5,000. For operations reporting (the prior IN 1.888 logic), the manual filing duty continues for transactions that do not flow through a domestic intermediary.

Purely decentralized DeFi protocols, with no identifiable controlling entity, in principle do not qualify as "crypto-asset service providers" under IN 2.291/2025 and therefore have no direct DeCripto filing obligation. In those cases, the obligation falls back on the user resident in Brazil when monthly volume exceeds R$35,000.

Yes, but in reverse: DeCripto also serves to inform foreign authorities about non-residents operating on Brazilian exchanges, through automatic exchange under CARF. Brazilians operating abroad receive the same treatment from foreign exchanges in countries that adopt CARF.

Exchanges must report: (1) user CPF/CNPJ (Brazilian individual or corporate tax ID); (2) type of operation (purchase, sale, swap, transfer, staking, etc.); (3) the crypto-asset involved and the amount; (4) the BRL value of the operation; (5) date and time; and (6) the counterparty when identifiable. The fields follow the OECD CARF standard, adapted by IN 2.291/2025.

Yes. Income from staking, yield farming, lending and other yield products intermediated by centralized exchanges must be reported. Each reward event is a reportable operation. This significantly increases Brazil's tax authority visibility into income streams that previously often went undetected.

Yes. NFTs are virtual assets and fall within DeCripto's scope when traded on centralized marketplaces or exchanges. Purchases, sales and swaps mediated by centralized platforms must be reported. NFTs traded purely on-chain, without a centralized intermediary, follow the DEX logic: the user remains responsible.

Two layers: (1) Monthly reports - for operations from July 2026 onward, filed monthly by exchanges with Brazil's tax authority; (2) Annual reports - a consolidated view of the full calendar year. Both are mandatory and independent of each other.

Yes. P2P transactions intermediated by a centralized exchange will be reported. Direct P2P transactions between individuals remain the taxpayer's responsibility to file monthly when monthly volume exceeds R$35,000 under DeCripto.

Not directly. DeCripto is an ancillary reporting obligation - it neither creates nor changes any tax. What changes is that the Brazilian tax authority (Receita Federal, similar to the IRS) will have far more detailed and automatic data about your operations. Taxation itself is governed by other rules, notably Law 14,754/2023 (for foreign assets), RFB Normative Instruction 2,180/2024, and the capital-gains rules (for domestic assets). It is essential to separate the duty to report (DeCripto) from the duty to compute and pay the tax (Income Tax).

Under Law 14,754/2023, for income earned from January 1, 2024 onward, crypto-assets held on foreign exchanges are treated as foreign financial investments: a flat 15% rate on income and capital gains, reported annually in the DIRPF. The R$35,000 monthly exemption does not apply - any gain is taxable, regardless of amount.

For domestic exchanges (custody in Brazil): exemption for monthly sales below R$35,000. Above that, a progressive scale applies: 15% on gains up to R$5M; 17.5% from R$5M to R$10M; 20% from R$10M to R$30M; 22.5% above R$30M. DARF (Brazilian federal tax payment slip) is due by the last business day of the month following the sale.

For foreign financial investments (including crypto classified as such under Law 14,754/2023, for income earned from 01/01/2024): yes - you can offset losses from one investment against gains from another within the same tax year, and carry unused losses forward, under Law 14,754/2023 and IN 2,180/2024. For crypto taxed as a capital gain in Brazil (typically domestic exchanges), there is no loss-bank: if total monthly sales reach R$35,000 or less, the gain is exempt; if they exceed that, each profitable transaction is taxed and losses on other transactions cannot offset gains - not even within the same month. Brazilian-domestic capital-gain losses cannot be offset against foreign-investment gains, and vice versa.

If you bought crypto with BRL on the exchange, there is no FX variation to consider. If you bought with a foreign currency, the acquisition cost must be converted to BRL using the official buy quote on the date of purchase. At the time of sale/redemption, you convert using the official sell quote. The BRL difference is the gain subject to the 15% rate. The exemption for FX variation on assets acquired with foreign-currency income was repealed by Law 14,754/2023.

(1) Confirm you are up to date with IN 1.888/2019 for every prior month. (2) Export complete transaction history from every exchange you use. (3) Calculate your accumulated gains and losses. (4) Consult an accountant specialized in crypto. (5) Check whether you need to file the DCBE (Brazilian Capital Abroad) declaration with the Central Bank. (6) Update your CPF data at every exchange where you trade.

Omission or late filing under IN 1.888/2019 triggers a fine of 1.5% per month on the value of unreported transactions (capped at 15%), plus a minimum fine of R$200 (individual) or R$500 (corporate). It is possible to regularize with reduced fines before any audit. Consult an accountant to regularize before July 2026.

Exchanges link DeCripto reports to the CPF on file. If your data is wrong or incomplete, operations will not be correctly mapped to your tax profile - leading to inconsistencies, mismatched cross-checks and notices from the Brazilian tax authority (Receita Federal, similar to the IRS). Open the KYC area of every platform and confirm your data.

Through KYC information (CPF/CNPJ, address), use of local payment methods (Pix, TEDs), access IP, and other tax-residency indicators. Keeping your registration current is the user's responsibility and directly affects how your operations are reported.

(1) RFB Normative Instruction 2.291/2025 - DeCripto; (2) RFB Normative Instruction 1.888/2019 - in force until June 2026; (3) Law 14,754/2023 - the "Offshore Law"; (4) RFB Normative Instruction 2.180/2024 - implementing Law 14,754; (5) Law 14,478/2022 (Brazil's Virtual Assets Act); (6) Decree 11,563/2023; (7) BCB Resolutions 519, 520 and 521 (prudential regulation and PSAV authorization); (8) BCB Resolution 279/2022 - DCBE; (9) The OECD's CARF standard. The Brazilian IRS (Receita Federal) official "Q&A on Law 14,754/2023" is required reading.

Accountants will need to: (1) reconcile data reported by exchanges against the client's DIRPF; (2) help clients regularize pending IN 1.888/2019 filings; (3) advise on correct computation of the tax base and rates; (4) verify DCBE obligations with the Central Bank; (5) prepare clients for the increased tax transparency that DeCripto + CARF will bring from 2027 onward.

The first automatic information exchanges between countries are expected in 2027, covering 2026 as the base year. Brazil will send data on non-residents trading on Brazilian exchanges and receive data on Brazilians trading on foreign exchanges that have joined the agreement. More than 70 countries have signed on.

Crypto-assets received as compensation for work (individual or corporate) qualify as employment/services income, subject to Carnê-Leão (monthly self-assessed income tax for individuals) or to taxation under the actual/presumed-profit regime (legal entities). The market value on the date of receipt is the tax base. This taxation is separate from - and cumulative with - any capital-gains taxation on a future sale.