CARF does not just send transaction data to SARS in isolation. It sends structured, machine-readable data that SARS’s systems can reconcile directly against your tax returns. If you bought R1 million of Bitcoin and sold it a year later for R1.5 million, CARF captures the buy date, the sell date, the rand amounts, and your […]
Author Archives: James Caw
The Crypto Asset Reporting Framework went live in South Africa on 1 March 2026. As of that date, every FSCA-licensed Bitcoin exchange must report every client’s transactions to SARS, and SARS exchanges this data with 50 other tax authorities through the OECD’s Common Reporting Standard framework. This is the largest change in Bitcoin transparency since […]
The 2026 National Budget, delivered on 25 February 2026, included a single sentence that fundamentally changes the regulatory framework for Bitcoin in South Africa. The Finance Minister announced that crypto assets will be brought under the capital flow management framework, effective immediately. This is not a ban. It is not a tax increase. It is […]
SimplB Vault is a multi-signature custody product designed for investors holding R500,000 or more in Bitcoin. The product addresses a specific problem that exchange custody does not solve: how to hold large amounts of Bitcoin in a way that no single entity (including SimplB) can move unilaterally. This article explains what multi-signature custody is, how […]
SimplB focuses exclusively on Bitcoin. This focus is not an accident or a limitation. It reflects a deliberate decision that for South African investors prioritising regulatory clarity, custody infrastructure, and tax compliance, Bitcoin-only is the coherent choice. This article makes the intellectual case for Bitcoin-only as a strategy, not as a dismissal of other crypto […]
Bitcoin is a bearer asset. This single fact, more than any other property of Bitcoin, shapes how it should be held, managed, and planned for across every dimension of an investor’s life. A bearer asset is property where possession and control equal ownership. There is no register, no title deed, no central authority that confirms […]
One of the most-searched Bitcoin questions in South African online communities has almost no quality public information: what happens to Bitcoin in a divorce? Does Bitcoin form part of the joint estate? Can one spouse hide Bitcoin from the other? What does the court do if Bitcoin is not disclosed? This article addresses every practical […]
A South African with a R10 million life insurance policy and R5 million in Bitcoin faces a structural estate coordination problem that most insurance agents and estate planners do not address. The life policy is designated to specific beneficiaries. It pays directly to them, outside the estate, bypassing probate and estate duty. The Bitcoin, if […]
The two-pot retirement system, implemented in September 2024, gives South African retirement fund members the right to withdraw one amount per calendar year from their “savings pot” without triggering any tax penalty or surrender charge. The withdrawal is simply transferred to your bank account, and you can use it for anything you choose. Many Bitcoin […]
In 2024, the International Accounting Standards Board amended IAS 38 (Intangible Assets) to clarify that Bitcoin and other crypto assets can be measured at fair value with gains recognised in profit or loss. The JSE adopted this guidance. South African company directors can now hold Bitcoin as a treasury asset with clear accounting and financial […]