PANews reported on March 22 that according to Cryptoslate, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) released the latest seventh edition of the Balance of Payments Manual (BPM7), which included cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin (BTC) in the balance of payments. According to the IMF's new standards, Bitcoin and similar cryptocurrencies are now non-productive assets in global economic statistics. The updated manual was released on March 20, marking the first time that the IMF has included detailed guidance on digital assets in its global statistical standards.
The framework divides digital assets into fungible and non-fungible tokens, and further distinguishes them based on whether they have corresponding liabilities. Bitcoin and similar liability-free tokens are classified as capital assets, while stablecoins backed by liabilities are considered financial instruments. According to the IMF: "Crypto assets that are not accompanied by corresponding liabilities and are intended to serve as a medium of exchange (such as Bitcoin) are considered nonproduced nonfinancial assets and are recorded separately in the capital account."
