PwC’s Crypto Leap: Now Auditing, Taxing, and Powering Payments for Digital Asset Clients

Big Four accounting giant PwC just threw its full weight behind crypto—and the traditional finance world felt the tremor.

From Skeptic to Service Provider

Forget the cautious advisories of years past. PwC's new dedicated crypto division isn't just watching from the sidelines. It's building the infrastructure. The firm now offers a full suite of professional services tailored for blockchain companies and digital asset holders: audit assurance for on-chain transactions, strategic tax planning for tokenomics, and even enterprise-grade payment solutions.

Why This Cuts Through the Noise

This isn't a tentative pilot program. It's a full-scale operational pivot. When a firm that audits Fortune 500 companies starts structuring crypto treasury management, it signals a fundamental shift. It tells institutional money that the asset class has matured beyond speculation and into the realm of accountable, reportable business activity. The move effectively bridges the last major credibility gap for corporates sitting on the fence.

The New Gatekeepers

PwC's play isn't just about service—it's about shaping the standards. By defining the audit trail for decentralized finance and clarifying the tax implications of staking rewards, they're writing the rulebook that regulators will likely follow. They're positioning themselves as the essential translators between the code-based logic of crypto and the compliance-based language of global finance. A cynical take? The same firms that once dismissed crypto as a fad now see a multi-billion dollar market for making it legible—and billable—to the old guard.

The institutional on-ramp is officially open. The question is no longer if traditional finance will adopt crypto, but who will control the terms of that adoption.

PwC now advises crypto clients on audits, taxes, and payments

Griggs said the company feels “a responsibility to be hyper-engaged on both sides of the business,” adding:

“Whether we are doing work in the audit space or doing work in the consulting arena — we do all the above in crypto — we see more and more opportunities coming our way.”

Griggs also said the company now offers full crypto services, from accounting to strategy.

Until now, PwC and the rest of the Big Four were reluctant to take on crypto companies in the US.They put up high barriers and turned down most of them.That was partly because US regulators were skeptical of the entire industry, constantly concerned about fraud, money laundering, and consumer risks.

But with the Trump administration now backing the space, those companies are treating crypto like any other line of business.

Griggs said PwC has been pitching to clients how they can use crypto tools to make things work better, especially around payments.He said stablecoins are one way to make payments faster and more efficient.

This pitch comes as companies scramble to find new ways to cut costs and speed up operations, especially with banking rails still outdated.

Other Big Four companies aren’t waiting around either. Deloitte has been auditing Coinbase since 2020 and put out a full crypto accounting guide in May. KPMG called 2025 the “tipping point” for crypto and now sells compliance and risk advisory tied to crypto use. All of them are now targeting this once-taboo industry for serious money.

PwC expands crypto hires and lands big clients like Mara

Griggs also revealed that PwC has already picked up audit clients in the crypto industry. That includes Mara Holdings, a Bitcoin mining company that appointed the company in March.

He said the company is also offering crypto tax advice, helping clients figure out how to handle digital income, transactions, and legal structures under the new US laws.

Griggs was promoted to US senior partner in 2024 after working at PwC for nearly 30 years. He used to handle the audit for Goldman Sachs and also ran some of the company’s internal talent programs.

Now he’s trying to make sure PwC doesn’t fall behind in a growing part of the market. To do that, he said the company had to hire from outside.

One of those hires is Cheryl Lesnik, who rejoined the company after three years away. She had spent that time focused on crypto clients at a smaller accounting outfit. Now she’s helping build PwC’s crypto team from the inside.

Griggs made it clear they’re not winging it. “We are never going to lean into a business that we haven’t equipped ourselves to deliver,” he said. “Over the last 10 to 12 months, as we’ve taken on more opportunities in that digital assets arena, we’ve bolstered our resource pool inside and outside.”

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