Altcoins News

Story: France’s Crypto Tax Gap: $9.4 Billion at Stake, Only $368 Million Reported

By Jean-Luc Maracon

1 / 15

More Filers, But Still Not Enough. There is progress, it must be said. In 2023, only 7,700 people declared crypto capital gains in…

2 / 15

DAC 8: Change Coming in 2026. This will change, at least partially. The European directive DAC 8 takes effect in 2026.

3 / 15

DGFiP Hack Complicates Matters. And while the tax authorities seek to collect more data, their own systems are under attack.

4 / 15

France is grappling with a significant tax issue concerning cryptocurrencies. According to Chainalysis, taxable crypto activity in the country is projected to reach $9.

5 / 15

For 2024, only 368 million euros in capital gains have been reported. This figure, highlighted by Chainalysis in its report, is staggering when compared to the potentially…

6 / 15

But here lies the problem: even with this progress, the amounts reported remain far from the actual volumes that Chainalysis identifies as taxable.

7 / 15

Why such a discrepancy? Several likely explanations. First, French tax law in 2025 does not tax crypto-to-crypto exchanges.

8 / 15

Then there's self-custody. Chainalysis states clearly: a large portion of cryptos is held directly by their owners, outside official platforms.

9 / 15

This will change, at least partially. The European directive DAC 8 takes effect in 2026. In practice, crypto platforms registered in the EU will have to disclose all user…

10 / 15

See also: FinCEN Reports $12.7 Billion in Crypto Fraud Linked to 33,000 Scam Cases in the US

11 / 15

No miracle either. DAC 8 does not cover self-custody transactions. Personal wallets remain off the radar.

12 / 15

Related: Stablecoins Surge Past $300 Billion as GENIUS Act Redefines Market Dynamics

13 / 15

This is probably where most of the gap hides. Unregistered platforms, personal wallets, decentralized transactions — all of this remains in the blind spot of tax authorities, and…

14 / 15

And while the tax authorities seek to collect more data, their own systems are under attack. In August, a hack exposed the tax data of 678,000 taxpayers in France.

15 / 15

Not an ideal context to ask people to declare more personal information. This is the paradox the administration finds itself in: it wants more transparency, more data, more…

The Currency Analytics

Want the full story?