Indonesia's Crypto Transactions Soar to $1.92 Billion in February: Regulator Reports

Indonesia's cryptocurrency market witnessed a surge in transactions, climbing to 30 trillion Indonesian Rupiah ($1.92 billion) in February, according to the Commodity Futures Trading Supervisory Agency (Bappebti). This uptick is attributed to growing investor interest, with registered cryptocurrency users hitting 19 million, up by 170,000 from January.

Bappebti forecasts a rebound in 2024, aiming to surpass the $51.28 billion transaction volume of the previous bull run, buoyed by Bitcoin's rally and positive market sentiments. The agency also suggests potential changes in tax policies to further boost transaction volume.

Indonesia's Crypto Market Surges: Insights on Transaction Growth and Regulatory Projections

According to Indonesia's crypto regulator, crypto transactions increased by 30 trillion Indonesian Rupiah ($1.92 billion) in February, Coindesk reported.

According to the Commodity Futures Trading Supervisory Agency (Bappebti), the country's registered cryptocurrency investors reached 19 million last month, up 170,000 from January. Bappebti attributes this growth to positive market sentiments fueled by Bitcoin's (BTC) price increase and the rally in altcoins, or tokens other than Bitcoin.

The regulator still intends to match or exceed the transaction volume of $51.28 billion from 2021, the previous bull run, in 2024. Bappebti's Tirta Karma Senjaya stated that, given the downward trend in 2022 and 2023, a 2024 rebound was expected, with the upcoming Bitcoin halving as a key catalyst.

Taxation Impact on Crypto: Advocacy for Reduced Taxes and Regulatory Shifts Ahead

The best way to increase crypto transaction volume would be to eliminate or reduce cryptocurrency taxes. Crypto transactions are currently taxed at 0.10% for income tax and 0.11% for VAT on users, with exchanges taxed at 0.02% per transaction for the crypto bourse, depository, and clearing house.

“I’ve previously said that this industry (crypto) is still in its embryonic stage, so imposing heavy taxes might kill the industry,” Tirta stated at a Reku exchange event earlier.

The transfer of cryptocurrency oversight to the Financial Services Authority (OJK) in January 2025 could result in significant changes, such as reclassifying crypto as securities and revising VAT policies.

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