Accounting rules for tokens

Tax treatment of digital assets

Non-fungible tokens (NFTs)

Accounting rules for tokens

Asset tokenization

Cryptocurrencies

Initial Coin Offering (ICO)

A coffee shop runs a digital loyalty program where customers earn 'points' recorded in the company's private, centralized database. A separate startup creates digital 'vouchers' for local businesses, where each voucher is recorded as a unique entry on a public, decentralized ledger that is not controlled by any single entity. Based on these descriptions, what is the most fundamental distinction between the 'points' and the 'vouchers' as digital assets?

Identifying a Blockchain-Based Asset

A digital coupon issued by a supermarket and stored in its private, centralized customer database is considered a token because it represents a form of digital asset.

Distinguishing Digital Assets

Analyze the following descriptions of digital items. Match each description to the category that correctly classifies it based on its underlying technology.

Proposing a New Token-Based System

A digital asset can be recorded and managed in various ways. Consider an asset recorded on a public, decentralized, and immutable digital ledger, meaning it is not controlled by a single entity, its history cannot be easily altered, and its records are open for anyone to inspect. Which of the following applications would derive the most fundamental benefit from being structured this way?

A city government is considering two systems to manage public bike-sharing access.

• System A: Users buy access passes that are stored as entries in a central, city-run database. The city can unilaterally revoke or alter access at any time.
• System B: Users buy access passes that are recorded as unique digital assets on a public, decentralized ledger. Ownership is controlled by the user's private digital key, and transfers between users are publicly recorded.

Which statement presents the most significant economic trade-off for the city government if it chooses System B over System A?

Evaluating a 'Tokenization' Claim

A video game developer currently stores a player's in-game gold balance on the company's private servers. To transform this 'gold' into a true digital asset that players could own and trade directly with each other outside of the developer's control, the 'gold' would need to be re-issued and managed on a public, decentralized ledger known as a ________.