Nigeria Ties Crypto Oversight To Tax Ids Under Sweeping Reform - Analysis

Nigeria’s tax overhaul pulls crypto exchanges into identity-based reporting, reshaping how digital assets are brought into the traditional economy.

Nigeria is rolling out a new approach to cryptocurrency oversight that relies on tax and identity systems rather than blockchain surveillance, as part of a sweeping reform of its tax regime.

Under its newly implemented tax reforms, crypto service providers are required to link transactions to Tax Identification Numbers (TINs) and, where applicable, National Identification Numbers (NINs).

The framework, which took effect on Jan. 1, is embedded in the Nigeria Tax Administration Act (NTAA) 2025 and marks one of the country's most sweeping tax overhauls.

By requiring identity disclosure at the reporting layer, Nigeria aims to make cryptocurrency activity visible to tax authorities without requiring the monitoring of blockchain infrastructure.

With this, transactions that were difficult to associate with individuals can be matched against income declarations, tax filings and historical records.

Under the new framework, virtual asset service providers (VASPs) operating in Nigeria must file regular returns with tax authorities that include details about the nature and value of the digital asset transactions they facilitate.

These reports must include customer identification data, including names, contact details and tax IDs, with NINs being mandated for individual users.

The law also enables tax authorities to request additional information from service providers and requires long-term retention of transaction and customer records.

VASPs are also mandated to flag suspicious and large transactions to tax agencies and financial intelligence units, extending oversight into the country’s anti-money laundering (AML) framework.

Source: CoinTelegraph