Understanding DAC8
DAC8 in brief
DAC8 imposes automatic crypto tax reporting, creating risks that go beyond taxation by linking identity, home address, transactions and value.
Updated
DAC8 is the European transposition of automatic reporting applied to crypto-assets. It turns crypto-asset service providers (CASPs) into automatic tax-reporting intermediaries. Since 1 January 2026, CASPs must collect and transmit information about their clients and their transactions; that data is reported to tax authorities and then exchanged automatically between them.
The problem is not the existence of crypto taxation. The problem is the construction of a mass-collection system that links civil identities, home addresses, tax residences, crypto transactions and transfer information, in systems that can later leak or be abused.
Short answer
DAC8 is the European version of automatic reporting applied to crypto-assets. Since 1 January 2026, crypto-asset service providers collect information about reportable users and transactions, report it to tax authorities, and that information is then exchanged automatically.
The real issue is not crypto taxation, but the construction of a mass database that links civil identities, home addresses, crypto transactions and value, creating a physical risk for holders and their families.
Key facts
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| Formal name | Directive (EU) 2023/2226 (DAC8) |
| French transposition | Decree No. 2025-1276 of 19 December 2025 |
| Obligations apply from | 1 January 2026 |
| First reporting period | 2026 activity |
| Reporting actors | Crypto-asset service providers (CASPs) |
| Purpose | Collection, reporting and automatic exchange of crypto information |
| Bull Bitcoin position | Opposition to mass collection, not to crypto taxation |
What DAC8 changes
DAC8 shifts the center of gravity of compliance. CASPs no longer only respond to targeted requests: they become the annual collectors of a database that tax authorities can exploit.
Starting with 2026 activity, reportable user and transaction data is collected, reported to tax authorities and then exchanged automatically between them.
What data is reported
The reported data can include the client’s identity (name, home address, date of birth), tax residences, tax identification numbers, crypto-fiat and crypto-crypto transactions, transfers, as well as values, units and numbers of operations.
The scope therefore covers both identification data and detailed transactional data, not just an isolated taxable event.
Why the risk is different
A blockchain address is not a simple account number. Crypto data is different from ordinary financial data: on a public chain, an address can give access to a financial history that is visible, permanent and extensible into the future.
A bank leak often exposes limited information. A leak of blockchain addresses can expose a dynamic map of holdings, counterparties, habits and future movements.
Why it also concerns non-holders
Physical attacks linked to crypto-assets do not target only holders. Relatives, spouses, children and parents become pressure levers. Once identity-linked crypto data escapes, the possible consequences include targeting, extortion and pressure on families.
The real effect of a DAC8 database is therefore not limited to CASP users. It extends to the identifiable family circle around them.
Bull Bitcoin’s position
Bull Bitcoin does not contest the principle of proportionate tax cooperation, nor crypto taxation. We contest a mass collection that links civil identities, home addresses, crypto activity and economic value, and that creates a physical risk without sufficient demonstration of effectiveness.
The alternative already exists: the targeted, motivated right of communication, applied to identified taxpayers.