South Africa implements new regulations and technologies to track crypto assets and offshore accounts

According to Bitcoin.com, the South African Revenue Service (SARS) has implemented a Crypto Asset Reporting Framework (CARF) and expanded Automatic Exchange of Information (AEOI) rules starting from March 1, requiring local crypto asset service providers to report detailed transaction data in accordance with international standards and to automatically exchange account information with over 120 jurisdictions.

Regulators will shift from passive reliance on voluntary disclosures to proactive, data-driven audits by using pattern recognition and data matching to compare tax returns with on-chain and offshore transaction records. Tax experts state that the "stealth space" for evading tax regulation through multiple wallets, offshore exchanges, and offshore structures has essentially disappeared, and taxpayers holding undeclared digital assets or offshore wealth face a higher risk of targeted audits, recommending proactive compliance through Voluntary Disclosure Programs (VDP).