At the end of July 2025, the IMF announced a milestone news:
The global economic statistical standard SNA (System of National Accounts) has completed the largest scale revision in nearly 20 years, officially including cryptographic assets in national balance sheets for the first time.
This is not just a statistical update, but a profound transformation related to policy making and financial regulation.
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Why is this revision so important?
SNA is the benchmark framework used by governments to statistically measure GDP, national income, consumption, investment, and other economic activities.
This update includes the following key contents:
1. Cryptographic assets are officially included in national wealth for the first time
In the past, cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin were never included in GDP or national assets because they did not belong to traditional goods or services.
This time, the IMF classifies some cryptographic assets as 'non-productive non-financial assets,' officially accounting for national wealth.
This represents:
Governments and central banks are beginning to 'recognize' the economic status of cryptographic assets from an official perspective.
2. Comprehensive upgrade of the digital economy
The new standards cover:
AI
Cloud Services
Digital platforms (such as Uber, Shopee)
Data and Algorithms
E-commerce
Previously difficult-to-quantify digital activities will be included in national statistics in the future, reflecting actual economic value contributions.
3. Transparency of multinational corporate value chains
The new standards can measure more accurately:
Value distribution of international brands produced and operated in other countries
Economic contributions of intellectual property and design
This is particularly important for global supply chain analysis and tax policy formulation.
4. Emphasizing sustainability and resource consumption
Promoting 'NDP (Net Domestic Product)', deducting capital depreciation and natural resource depletion from GDP, reflects a more realistic economic sustainability.
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Why is this a major benefit for the crypto industry?
This reform is of extraordinary significance:
National levels are beginning to quantify and recognize cryptographic assets
Cryptographic assets will become part of future policy and risk assessments
Helps establish a unified reporting format, reducing regulatory uncertainty
At a moment when digital currency and AI are rapidly penetrating the real economy, the statistical upgrade led by the IMF could mark the beginning of a new phase in Web3.
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Implementation schedule and subsequent development
Countries will complete the standard implementation between 2029 and 2030
The IMF will provide technical support and training
The policy discussion foundation of the crypto industry will become increasingly 'institutionalized'
This means we are not far from a world where 'Bitcoin is included in national balance sheets.'
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This upgrade is not just a technical adjustment, but a reinterpretation of 'what constitutes the core of the national economy.'
The crypto industry is moving from a marginal technology to institutional recognition, and the next step is to participate in the reconstruction of the global financial order.