Country overview

#61

Philippines

Country stats

Rating Points

170

This indicator describes the overall rating of a given jurisdiction on several parameters according to cryptocurrency operations - market volume, crypto regulation, business climate, taxation framework.

Crypto Penetration

2.7%

Estimated percentage of crypto users out of the country's total population based on public data.

Legal Entities

Number of crypto companies registered in the country based on regulator data if available or other types of public data.

Regulation Points

An overall assessment of the granularity of crypto regulation in a given country. A high score is also given to countries where cryptocurrency transactions are highly regulated.

Amount of crypto users

3 072 600

Total amount of crypto users out of the country's total population based on public data.

Taxation points

This figure, according to our analysts' calculations, indicates the overall level of tax burden for cryptocurrency transactions in a given country. The higher the indicator, the lower the burden.

Market volume points

122.8

A rough estimate of this jurisdiction's retail crypto market relative to the rest of the world. The higher the indicator, the higher the market potential.

Status of crypto

Legally allowed

General status of cryptocurrency regulation in this jurisdiction.

Crypto payments

No info

The legal status of cryptocurrency payments for goods and services in a given country based on information from regulators, public data and feedback from our community.

Security Level

High danger

The overall level of security in a given country based on open data.

Crypto Salaries

No info

The legal status of cryptocurrency salaries to employers in a given country based on information from regulators, public data and feedback from our community.

Business Climate

Medium

Overall assessment of the friendliness of this country for crypto-business. This indicator takes into account the cost of obtaining a license and the attitude towards crypto entities in the country.

Stablecoin Regulation

None

This indicator is evaluating the regulation of stablecoins in a given country. Complex regulation means that it is possible to issue steiblcoins and obtain a license for this activity. Basic regulation means that the issuance of stablecoins is possible, but not all legal aspects are defined in the law. Standard regulation means that there is a legal practice of steylcoin circulation in a given country.

Bad Factors

FATF grey list

This section describes the unfavorable economic factors for crypto-business in a given country. These are countries that are under sanctions or on the FATF grey list and other factors.

Types of licenses

Crypto-to-crypto

This license type allows VASP to provide legal exchange from one cryptocurrency to another.

Crypto-to-fiat

This type of license regulates the exchange from cryptocurrency to fiat.

Good

Medium

Bad

intro

The Philippines remains one of the most crypto-friendly countries in Southeast Asia, along with Taiwan, Japan, and South Korea. Unlike other countries in the region, such as Thailand and China, there is no ban on crypto payments. In January 2021, a new regulation for cryptocurrencies was adopted in the country.

Security level

The Philippines has a high danger security level according to our rating. Jurisdiction has 57.4 points (from 100) for safety level in Numbeo crime rating (1). Homicide level (2) is 4.3 per 100,000 inhabitants a year. Level of firearm-related death (3) 7.72 per 100,000 inhabitants a year.

Crypto Payments

According to local media, crypto payments in the country are legal (4). However, the BSP does not recognize Bitcoin and other “virtual currencies” as currency. It has been reported (5), that less than 2 percent of all known transactions in the Philippines are conducted using cryptocurrency but this does not account for transactions conducted in the informal economy.

Crypto Salaries

No regulation/No data.

Legal

The Philippines has a comprehensive crypto regulation framework that allows #cryptotocrypto and #cryptotofiat exchange.

The Bangko Sentral of Pilipinas (BSP) is the primary regulator that registers VASPs. Another regulator is the local SEC, which influences the regulation of crypto-related funds and securities. Also, there are two other kinds of crypto operations licenses:

Offshore Virtual Currency Exchange (OVCE) Principal License

OVCE Regular license

VASPs registered (6) in The Philippines need to get “Certificate of Authority” to operate as a Money Service Business. According to Notabene VASP also shall (7) adhere to the registration procedures under Appendix N-7 and submit the Application for Registration and Notarized Deeds of Undertaking (Appendices N-8 and N-9) to the Bangko Sentral through the appropriate supervising department of the Bangko Sentral.

Activity	Regulator	Licensed Entities	Note
#cryptotocrypto and #cryptotofiat	Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP)	18	Operations inside the country
#cryptotocrypto and #cryptotofiat	Offshore Virtual Currency Exchange (OVCE) Principal License	24	Offshore exchange
#cryptotocrypto and #cryptotofiat	OVCE Regular license	13

Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas has registered 18 crypto entities in the list of VASPs(8).

In late January (2022), the Union Bank of the Philippines announced plans to offer cryptocurrency trading and custodial services (9). The new investment and trading feature launched in collaboration with Swiss crypto technology firm Metaco, with UnionBank going live on Metaco’s (10) digital asset platform Harmonize.

Taxation

Grant Thornton's guide (11) states, “In the Philippines, however, the BIR has not yet issued specific guidelines on the classification of cryptocurrencies and the taxation of income earned from such."

According to local tax expert Gerard Caprizo's video tutorial (12), crypto gains (like professional trading) in the Philippines are subject to PIT from 20% to 35%.

At the same time, according to Grand Thornton, those considered non-resident aliens not engaged in trade or business (NRANETBs) in the Philippines whose income is subject to 25% income tax based on gross income.

Tax name	Index
PIT tax Min	25
PIT tax Max	35
Corporate tax (CIT)	25
Min Individual CGT (for crypto)	15
Max Individual CGT (for crypto)	15
Wealth tax Min	1
Wealth tax Max	3

PIT

The headline PIT rate is 35%(12¹).

CIT

Max CIT is 25% according to PWС tax summaries (13). Also PWC has a special crypto tax guide (14) for Phillipines according to it “if the entity holds cryptocurrency for investment purposes (capital appreciation) over extended periods, it will not likely meet the definition of inventory, but that of an intangible asset”. Probably this means that the corporate CGT rate will be applied.

CGT

Net capital gains derived(15) by domestic and foreign corporations from the sale, exchange, transfer, or similar transactions of Philippine shares of stock not traded through a local stock exchange are taxed at a flat 15% rate.

Also, according to Grant Thornton (16), there are two crucial facts in essential tax legislation in this country:

“only 50% of the capital gain earned by an individual will be included in the gross income if the asset was held for more than 12 months...

gains arising from ordinary assets are treated as ordinary income and are generally reportable in full regardless of the holding period.

Links

1)Crime Index by Country 2023 Mid-Year

2)List of countries by intentional homicide rate

3)List of countries by firearm-related death rate

4 and 5)The Diplomat. How Terrorists Use Cryptocurrency in Southeast Asia. Article

6)CIRCULAR NO. 1108. PDF-file

7) Nota Bene. Crypto Travel Rule Regulations in the Philippines by the Central Bank of the Philippines. Article

8)List of Virtual Asset Service Providers (VASP). As of 31 July 2023. Source: TRISD Database. PDF-file

9)Bloomberg. Crypto Enthusiasm Prompts Philippine Bank to Launch Trading. Article

10)Cointelegraph. Union Bank of the Philippines selects Metaco and IBM to facilitate digital asset custody operations. Article

11 and 16)Grant Thronton. Taxing income from cryptocurrencies. Article

12)Tax on cryptocurrency in the Philippines. YouTube

12¹)Overview. PWC

13)Philippines. Corporate - Taxes on corporate income. PWC

14)Cryptocurrency accounting and taxation. PWC

15)Philippines. Corporate - Other taxes. PWC

Articles

review

Indonesia, Turkiye, Nigeria and Other Emerging Crypto Markets in 2024

Asia and Africa are the most perspective crypto markets by amount of users, and we review crypto legislation in key countries in these regions.

article

India: the Biggest Crypto Market Enables New Regulations Soon

Short review of current crypto regulation agenda in India

article

The Binance Card Program is Done, What Do You Do Now?

We deal with what happened to Binance crypto cards and what alternatives exist

intro

Security level

Crypto Payments

Crypto Salaries

No regulation/No data.

Legal

The Philippines has a comprehensive crypto regulation framework that allows #cryptotocrypto and #cryptotofiat exchange.

Offshore Virtual Currency Exchange (OVCE) Principal License

OVCE Regular license

Activity	Regulator	Licensed Entities	Note
#cryptotocrypto and #cryptotofiat	Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP)	18	Operations inside the country
#cryptotocrypto and #cryptotofiat	Offshore Virtual Currency Exchange (OVCE) Principal License	24	Offshore exchange
#cryptotocrypto and #cryptotofiat	OVCE Regular license	13

Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas has registered 18 crypto entities in the list of VASPs(8).

Taxation

According to local tax expert Gerard Caprizo's video tutorial (12), crypto gains (like professional trading) in the Philippines are subject to PIT from 20% to 35%.

Tax name	Index
PIT tax Min	25
PIT tax Max	35
Corporate tax (CIT)	25
Min Individual CGT (for crypto)	15
Max Individual CGT (for crypto)	15
Wealth tax Min	1
Wealth tax Max	3

PIT

The headline PIT rate is 35%(12¹).

CIT

CGT

Also, according to Grant Thornton (16), there are two crucial facts in essential tax legislation in this country:

“only 50% of the capital gain earned by an individual will be included in the gross income if the asset was held for more than 12 months...

gains arising from ordinary assets are treated as ordinary income and are generally reportable in full regardless of the holding period.

Links

1)Crime Index by Country 2023 Mid-Year

2)List of countries by intentional homicide rate

3)List of countries by firearm-related death rate

4 and 5)The Diplomat. How Terrorists Use Cryptocurrency in Southeast Asia. Article

6)CIRCULAR NO. 1108. PDF-file

7) Nota Bene. Crypto Travel Rule Regulations in the Philippines by the Central Bank of the Philippines. Article

8)List of Virtual Asset Service Providers (VASP). As of 31 July 2023. Source: TRISD Database. PDF-file

9)Bloomberg. Crypto Enthusiasm Prompts Philippine Bank to Launch Trading. Article

10)Cointelegraph. Union Bank of the Philippines selects Metaco and IBM to facilitate digital asset custody operations. Article

11 and 16)Grant Thronton. Taxing income from cryptocurrencies. Article

12)Tax on cryptocurrency in the Philippines. YouTube

12¹)Overview. PWC

13)Philippines. Corporate - Taxes on corporate income. PWC

14)Cryptocurrency accounting and taxation. PWC

15)Philippines. Corporate - Other taxes. PWC