Tax season has a way of revealing how prepared or unprepared investors actually are. For crypto investors in India, this filing season carries more weight than before. The rules have not changed dramatically, but enforcement has, and the consequences of getting it wrong are more serious than most investors realise.

A New Act, The Same Obligations

The Income Tax Act, 2025 came into force on April 1, 2026, replacing the 1961 Act. For investors filing for FY 2025-26, the old Act’s provisions still govern your obligations. The core framework remains intact: a flat 30% tax on profits from Virtual Digital Assets, a 1% TDS on transfers exceeding Rs 10,000, no deductions except the cost of acquisition, and no ability to offset losses from one crypto asset against gains from another.

The new Act renumbers the governing sections and explicitly adds “crypto-asset” to the VDA definition, but the substance of the obligations has not changed. If you have been filing correctly under the old Act, the transition requires no dramatic adjustment. What has changed is the penalty framework, and that deserves your attention.

The Right Form, Filled Correctly

For FY 2025-26, investors file under ITR-2 if reporting crypto as capital gains or ITR-3 if crypto trading constitutes business income. Both forms contain a dedicated Schedule VDA section where all crypto transactions must be reported.
This is the step where most errors happen.Schedule VDA requires transaction-by-transaction entry, not just a summary of your net gains. Every trade, every swap, every disposal needs to be listed individually. Investors who have traded across multiple platforms, used DeFi protocols, or moved assets between wallets will find this the most demanding part of the process. The data needs to be accurate, complete, and consistent with what your exchange has already reported.

Failing to report even a single crypto-to-crypto swap can trigger penalties for non-disclosure. A swap between two tokens is a taxable event in India, and many investors still treat it as a portfolio reshuffling rather than a reportable transaction. It is not.

Why Accuracy Matters More Than Ever This Year

Budget 2026 introduced a significant structural change: crypto exchanges, custodians, and wallet providers are now required to furnish user-level transaction statements directly to the Income Tax Department. This data is then cross-referenced against your ITR automatically. If your declared income in Schedule VDA does not match what your exchange has reported, the system flags it.

The Income Tax Department has already issued over 44,000 notices and detected more than Rs 888 crore in undisclosed VDA income. The department is actively using Annual Information Statements, exchange TDS filings, and blockchain analytics. The gap between what investors report and what the system can see is closing fast.
For investors who have used foreign exchanges, the picture becomes more complex from next year. India’s CBDT has confirmed alignment with the OECD’s Crypto-Asset Reporting Framework, with domestic enforcement targeted for April 1, 2027. This means international crypto holdings will be automatically visible to Indian tax authorities through cross-border data sharing. If you hold assets on overseas platforms, this year is the time to get your records in order.

The Most Common Mistakes And How to Avoid Them

After years of working in compliance, the errors we come across are often not intentional. They are the result of disorganised record-keeping and a poor understanding of what counts as a taxable event.The first mistake is using the wrong ITR form. Filing under ITR-1 when you have crypto income results in a defective return that the department will reject.

The second is incomplete Schedule VDA reporting. Staking rewards, airdrops, and DeFi income must be reported separately under income from other sources, not lumped together with trading gains. Each category is taxed differently and must be disclosed on its own.

The third is TDS reconciliation. Every VDA transfer above the threshold leaves a 1% TDS footprint in your Form 26AS. Investors who do not verify this against their own transaction records risk either missing a refund they are entitled to or creating a mismatch that triggers scrutiny.

The fix for all three is the same: good records maintained throughout the year, not reconstructed in a hurry at filing time.

Compliance Is Not the Enemy of Participation

Compliance is often described as a burden that slows down innovation. However, a market where investors file accurately, platforms report transparently, and regulators have visibility is one that earns the trust it needs to grow.

India has one of the most active crypto investor bases in the world. Protecting that participation means filing correctly, staying current with regulatory changes, and treating tax obligations with the same seriousness as investment decisions.

The rules are clear. The tools to comply exist. The only variable is whether investors choose to use them before the deadline or explain themselves after it.

(The author Rakhesh Raghunath is Head of Compliance, Mudrex)

(Disclaimer: Recommendations, suggestions, views and opinions given by the experts are their own. These do not represent the views of The Economic Times)

As SpaceX’s blockbuster stock market debut vaulted the company into the ranks of the world’s most valuable firms and made Elon Musk the world’s first trillionaire, Indian billionaire banker Uday Kotak posed a question: Are investors betting on the future of humanity, or are they witnessing a mega bubble in the making?

Reacting to SpaceX’s IPO and listing, the Kotak Mahindra Bank founder said the listing is “a true test for capitalism”, arguing that the company’s valuation cannot be explained through conventional frameworks. “The valuation does not fit any traditional matrix and is a huge bet on the future course of planet earth,” he said. “Only time will tell whether we, the human race, have arrived into the fairy tale world we grew up in as children, or are in a mega bubble,” he wrote in a post on X, formerly Twitter, on Saturday.

While questioning how markets should value a company such as SpaceX, Kotak also praised both Musk and the United States for making such an outcome possible. “Either ways, kudos to the man who came as an immigrant, and to the country that has allowed such boundless creativity to flourish despite all the risks it embeds,” he wrote.

SpaceX debut

Kotak’s comments came after a stellar debut that instantly propelled Elon Musk’s rocket and satellite company into the ranks of the world’s most valuable firms.

After raising $75 billion in the biggest initial public offering ever, SpaceX began trading under the ticker SPCX at $150, an 11% premium to its IPO price of $135. The stock surged as high as $176.52 during the session before ending the day at $160.95, a gain of nearly 19% from the offer price.

That rally was enough to rocket SpaceX into seventh place among the world’s most valuable listed companies. With a market value of about $2.1 trillion at Friday’s close, SpaceX now sits just behind Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSMC), which is valued at $2.9 trillion.

Investor demand was evident throughout the session. More than 500 million shares changed hands on debut, a figure that approached Facebook’s first-day trading volume of about 580 million shares in 2012.

SpaceX share demand surges further

The momentum did not stop when the closing bell rang. SpaceX shares continued climbing in extended trading, rising close to 3.5% to $166.76 as of 6:30 p.m. ET.
Roughly 16 million shares changed hands in post-market activity, adding to the more than 500 million traded during regular hours. The after-hours advance lifted the company’s market capitalization by another $80 billion to around $2.2 trillion.

SpaceX lifts Elon Musk into trillionaire territory

The blockbuster debut also marked a watershed moment for Musk personally. The surge in SpaceX shares pushed his net worth to $1.11 trillion, making him the world’s first trillionaire.According to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index, Musk’s fortune now exceeds the combined wealth of Larry Page, Sergey Brin, Jeff Bezos and Larry Ellison. Together, the four billionaires are worth $1.089 trillion, less than Musk’s estimated net worth of $1.11 trillion.
According to a CNBC report, Data from VandaTrack showed SpaceX was the most-bought stock by retail traders on a net basis during Friday’s session, while it was also among the most-discussed names on Reddit’s WallStreetBets forum ahead of the listing.

(Disclaimer: Recommendations, suggestions, views and opinions given by the experts are their own. These do not represent the views of The Economic Times)

Gold headed for a second straight weekly loss on Friday as expectations of higher interest rates weighed on the non-yielding metal ahead of next week’s U.S. Federal Reserve meeting.

Spot gold was up 0.3% at $4,227.17 per ounce as of 2:15 p.m. ET (1815 GMT), and was down 2.3% for the week.

U.S. gold futures rose 3% to settle at $4,238.80.

“I think that the inflation ‌is going to ⁠linger ⁠for some time, even if oil prices do come down… we’ve heard this story before and there’s some degree of scepticism,” said Peter Grant, vice president and senior metals strategist at Zaner Metals.

Oil prices fell over 3% after the news that a memorandum between the United States and Iran to halt the war in the Gulf could be signed as soon as Sunday, a Western source told Reuters on Friday. Iran’s ⁠Fars news ‌agency, however, denied that speculation, citing a source close to the negotiations. [O/R]

Gold has been under pressure since the conflict began at the end of ⁠February, on concerns that oil-driven inflation means central banks will keep interest rates elevated.
While investors regard gold as an inflation hedge, higher rates tend to weigh on the non-yielding metal. Traders are pricing in a 57% chance of a U.S. rate hike by December, according to the CME FedWatch tool.

Data this week showed U.S. producer prices increased more than expected in May, while consumer inflation jumped above 4%.

Attention is also turning to the Federal Reserve’s June 16-17 ‌policy meeting, the first to be chaired by Kevin Warsh, when the market expects the bank to hold rates steady.

UBS has lowered its gold outlook, warning that delayed Fed rate ⁠cuts will pressure prices toward the $3,850-4,000/oz range in the near term.

Elsewhere, Rolex raised the global price of its gold watches by an average 5% this month, marking a rare second annual increase for its main markets including Britain, Hong Kong and the U.S., according to two luxury research platforms and two dealers.

Spot silver rose 1.2% to $68.14 per ounce and palladium added 0.7% to $1,281.04, with both metals headed for weekly gains. Platinum fell 0.8% to $1,706.90 and was headed for a weekly loss.

By Sandra Rhouma

The market is pricing in higher euro rates through 2031. But can the region’s economy take them?

As expected, the European Central Bank (ECB) raised its three key interest rates by 25 basis points (bps) on June

The dollar steadied on Friday but remained on track for a weekly loss, as markets monitored negotiations over a deal that could end the Middle East conflict.

Traders were also digesting unprecedented demand for shares in SpaceX, which raised $75 billion in an initial public offering and jumped about 20% in its Nasdaq debut.

The euro was little changed at $1.15725, hovering near a one-week high and set for a weekly ‌gain after the ⁠European Central ⁠Bank delivered its first interest rate hike in three years on Thursday.

PEACE DEAL

Leaked terms of a proposed memorandum to end the war in the Gulf, outlined by Western, Pakistani and Iranian sources on Friday, appeared to favor Iran, drawing criticism from U.S. President Donald Trump who called the reports inaccurate. Trump’s announcement on Thursday regarding a deal had prompted Wall Street shares to rally, oil prices to slip and the U.S. dollar to fall.

Markets are pausing as they assess the prospects for ⁠peace and ‌the impact of the SpaceX IPO, with investors watching whether funds will shift from equities or cash, said John Velis, FX and macro strategist at BNY.
“The hoped-for good ⁠news on the ceasefire in the Middle East had a big reaction overnight and I think we came in this morning and we have the SpaceX IPO and a bunch of central bank meetings next week,” Velis said.
The U.S. dollar was up 0.18% against Japan’s currency at 160.225 yen, holding near a key level that often triggers concern about intervention from Tokyo.
The pound was steady at $1.34145. Data showing the UK economy contracted in April had little impact, with markets focused on Iran talks.

The U.S. dollar index, which ‌measures the greenback against a basket of six currencies, was flat at 99.75 after hitting a one-week low on Thursday.

Investors have tended to buy the safe-haven dollar when tensions in the Iran war flare, ⁠and sell it in favor of riskier assets such as stocks when peace talks appear to make progress.

FED IN VIEW

Data on Thursday showed U.S. producer prices increased more than expected in May, ahead of Kevin Warsh’s first rate-setting meeting as chair of the Federal Reserve next week.

Traders expect the Fed to keep rates steady at 3.5% to 3.75%, but see a greater than 50% chance of a hike by year-end. Pricing edged slightly lower on Thursday after Trump’s comments on a potential deal.

Against the Swiss franc, the dollar strengthened 0.21% to 0.79680.

In cryptocurrencies, bitcoin gained 0.40% to $63,595.26. Ethereum declined 0.29% to $1,665.87.