Any platform that effects sales of digital assets for customers and is required to file Form 1099-DA: centralized exchanges, hosted wallet providers, and payment processors. Decentralized protocols and self-custody wallets are not brokers under the current rules.
Broker status decides what the IRS already knows about you. Trades on a broker show up on a 1099-DA; trades in self-custody or on DeFi do not, but they are still taxable and still your responsibility to report.
Not under the rules in effect for 2025 and 2026; the front-end service provider rule was repealed in 2025. That may change, but today DeFi activity is unreported by anyone but you.
Source: Treas. Reg. 1.6045-1; IRS final regulations on digital asset broker reporting (2024)
Last reviewed September 17, 2026. Tax rules change; confirm current law before acting.
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