Crypto: France Rejects Bid to Halt New DAC8 Rules

Bull Bitcoin and Paymium did not obtain the immediate suspension of DAC8 in France. The Council of State rejected their urgent motion against the French decree that organizes the collection and transmission of data on crypto-asset transactions. However, the court did not rule on the merits of the case. The appeal seeking the annulment of decree no. 2025-1276 continues.

The Council of State refuses immediate suspension

Bull Bitcoin had already been contesting DAC8 before the Council of State since February. Cointribune detailed in July the appeal launched by the company against the French decree. A new urgent procedure was then initiated with Paymium. Objective: to suspend the decree during the examination of the main case.

The Council of State did not follow. The claimants did not demonstrate sufficient urgency to justify an immediate freezing of the text. Therefore, the court did not validate or reject their arguments on the legality of DAC8. It only refused the provisional suspension.

Bull Bitcoin precisely insists on this distinction. Its annulment appeal continues before the highest French administrative court. The contested text is decree no. 2025-1276 of December 19, 2025. It defines the declarative obligations and diligences imposed on crypto-asset service providers in France. It came into effect on January 1, 2026. 

DAC8 already collects operations made since January

The schedule has therefore not changed. The transactions concerned are those carried out since January 1, 2026. They must be the subject of the first declarations in 2027. The French tax administration has already published the technical documents intended for the transfer of information under DAC8 and the Crypto-Asset Reporting Framework, or CARF.

The service providers involved must identify users and transmit certain information related to their operations. The mechanism then provides for automatic exchanges between European tax administrations.

France is also working on extending this system beyond the European Union. Cointribune explained in August that CARF could allow the sharing of crypto data with dozens of other jurisdictions.

For Bull Bitcoin and Paymium, the issue is not only about taxation. Both companies claim that a database linking identity, residence, and activity on digital assets can become a particularly sensitive target in case of leaks or unauthorized access. Bull Bitcoin has defended since the beginning of its appeal the idea that systematic collection exposes holders more than a targeted tax request. This is the claim from the applicants, not a conclusion of the Council of State. The decree therefore remains applicable while the legal debate continues.

Crypto: physical risk remains central to the appeal

The issue is particularly sensitive in France. The crypto sector has experienced this year a series of assaults, detentions, and kidnapping attempts. At the end of June, French authorities had recorded 77 violent cases related to the sector since the start of 2026, with about 200 suspects arrested, according to figures reported by Cointribune following a presentation by the Minister of the Interior. France has since strengthened its protection system for professionals and their relatives.

Bull Bitcoin and Paymium use this context to support their argument on data security. The Council of State did not consider this risk sufficient at this stage to characterize the urgency necessary for a suspension.

Therefore, DAC8 continues its schedule. For service providers, the first important deadline will come in 2027 with declarations covering transactions from 2026. For Bull Bitcoin and Paymium, the next challenge lies elsewhere: obtaining a decision on the very legality of the French decree. That battle is not over.