It appears that the world’s accounting rule makers are finally ready to give crypto and digital assets the attention they deserve. The International Accounting Standards Board (IASB) has shared plans that could include support for cryptocurrencies and digital assets as part of a broader effort to update the existing accounting framework in 2026.
The Financial Accounting Standards Board is also preparing for a similar move, hinting at a future where crypto and digital assets are further integrated into US TradFi.
What are the IASB’s plans for cryptocurrencies in 2026?
The International Accounting Standards Board (IASB) has not yet produced a report. firm commitment Move to standalone cryptographic standards. However, we are planning an update to IAS 38 (Intangible Assets) that is expected to address crypto-asset-related issues, as crypto-assets typically fall into that category.
This means the industry could soon see more clarity on how companies report cryptocurrencies on their balance sheets. Experts tout this as important for transparency and say it could help increase the legitimacy of cryptocurrencies.
What was confirmed is the IASB’s plans to consider pressing issues such as whether stablecoins, currently the hottest thing in cryptocurrencies, should qualify as cash equivalents, or whether some digital assets should be tagged as debt or equity.
A formal work plan on IAS 38 is expected later in the new year and will include research to determine what the project will achieve, while potentially addressing cryptocurrency-related accounting.
The reason many people are nervous to hear this news is that whatever the outcome, it will be implemented in more than 140 countries connected to the London-headquartered IASB.
FASB has similar plans.
The Financial Accounting Standards Board, which is the equivalent of the IASB and focuses on creating an accounting framework for U.S. public companies, also share They have similar plans for cryptocurrencies, but theirs is more definitive.
According to Cryptopolitan, the Financial Accounting Standards Board will consider two topics in 2026. It is whether some crypto assets qualify as cash equivalents and how crypto transfers are accounted for, both of which could create new standards.
The approaches of the two bodies differ, with the IASB planning to prioritize stablecoins and broader transparency in financial reporting, while the FASB has directly claimed to have added the two topics to its agenda in response to public input.
Both virtual currency projects are the first of more than 70 potential topics the FASB plans to consider and are among the first to be added to the agency’s agenda. Last October, the FASB disclosed in an update that the chair added a project on digital assets to the group’s agenda on August 13.
The update claimed that the FASB Board has “added to its technical agenda a project to clarify whether certain digital assets can be classified as cash equivalents” and will begin initial deliberations on the issue at a future meeting.
In another update in November 2025, the FASB revealed that the issue of accounting for the transfer of digital assets was added to the Board’s study agenda by the FASB Chair in August.
According to reports, the board added the project to its technical agenda related to this topic on November 19, stating that the project will address wrap tokens and receipt tokens, as well as “clarify derecognition guidance for cryptocurrency transfer arrangements to assess whether control of crypto assets has been transferred.”
The addition of the two projects to the Board’s research agenda was in response to feedback received during the annual agenda consultation and recommendations contained in a report issued by the President’s Task Force on Digital Asset Markets.
FASB Chairman Rich Jones said of the working group’s proposal, “I’m certainly glad that they thought the way to solve the accounting problem was to recommend that the FASB consider it,” FASB Chairman Rich Jones said of the working group’s proposal, according to the paper. WSJ.
The question of whether a particular stablecoin qualifies as a “cash equivalent” under U.S. Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP) as enforced by the FASB has become a key cryptocurrency battleground for corporate back offices.
The FASB’s decision to add this project to its agenda is therefore believed to mean clarity is on the way.
“Many people have put in a lot of time and effort to help shape our agenda,” said Chair Rich Jones. “I see 2026 as accepting that and executing our end of the deal.”
The board says it plans to make decisions on all other potential additions by the end of the summer.
