The Norwegian Tax Administration and the police have launched a market dialogue on the custody and realization of crypto assets, and are now exploring how the public sector can use professional infrastructure for handling digital value.
“We are now conducting a market survey to gather input on different solutions and ways to ensure safe and secure storage and realization of crypto assets. We regularly use market surveys ahead of any potential procurement processes,” says Marius Johansen, subject‑matter lead for cryptocurrency at the Norwegian Tax Administration. “With this market dialogue, the agency and the police are asking providers to describe how they can offer custody, secure handling and realization of crypto assets within the framework that applies to the public sector in Norway.”
The collection authority in the Tax Administration collects taxes and fees, but also money on behalf of other actors such as the police, Lånakassen, Statens vegvesen, Nav and a number of personal contribution recipients. That means the agency can collect, among other things, fines, compensatory payments, student loans, child support and mis-paid benefits from Nav. As part of this task, claims can be secured in crypto assets. The collection authority in the Tax Administration handles the securing and collection of claims for which they are responsible, while the bailiff handles the securing of claims for which they are responsible, and is responsible for the realisation of assets. Against this background, the new request for information (RFI) on “custody and realization of crypto assets” is the first time that the Tax Administration and the police together invite the market to describe professional solutions for the custody and realization of such assets.
The announcement on Doffin describes an RFI entitled “Custody and realization of crypto assets,” on behalf of the Tax Administration and the police. Its purpose is to collect information from the market on solutions for the safe custody and realization of crypto assets, not to award contract in this phase. The announcement stresses that this is a market study and that any subsequent acquisitions will be announced separately through the same channel. The text emphasizes the need for solutions that can secure the values and enable a controlled process to convert crypto assets into fiat or equivalent, within a framework that satisfies the requirements of the public sector. The RFI does not specify which specific case types the crypto assets originate from, beyond the general framework in which claims can be secured in crypto as part of collection and enforcement.
When the Swedish Tax Agency and the police now jointly ask for input on solutions for the custody and realisation of crypto assets, it points to a need for a more predictable and professional framework around values that may already arise in collection and enforcement proceedings. With a clearer model for how crypto should be stored and realized, authorities can have more robust processes both for hedging, collecting and executing realization when claims are first linked to digital assets. For suppliers, it is also an opportunity to show how existing or new solutions can be adapted to the specific requirements applicable to the public sector.
At this stage, the process is primarily about gathering information, and a market dialogue in itself does not imply any guarantee that an acquisition or contract will be concluded. Entrants wishing to contribute must adhere to the deadlines and frameworks outlined in the announcement, and any subsequent contests will be published through the same channel should the process go ahead. Thus, for now, this is primarily an opportunity to influence how an eventual future competition for the custody and realization of crypto assets can be designed, not a competition for an already defined contract.
Here you can find the public call.
