From January 1, 2026, the European Union (EU) Bitcoin (BTC) and cryptocurrency ecosystem will begin a structural transformation in terms of tax oversight.
With the entry into force of the 8th Administrative Cooperation Directive (DAC8), financial privacy on regulated crypto asset platforms has been officially abolished. This is done by the Spanish Tax Agency in cooperation with other European tax organizations. Access all information Regarding movements from 2026 By user.
The regulation is premised on transparency, requiring crypto service providers to automatically collect and submit detailed information about their customers’ operations at the end of 2027. The report includes your name, tax identification number (NIF), balance, and fair market value of each purchase, sale, or exchange made during the accounting period.
Higher level of oversight than the banking system
The depth of data that Treasury currently receives exceeds the standards applied to traditional financial institutions. As digital asset tax expert José Antonio Bravo Mateu explained, DAC8 Significantly expands the range of information available to the Treasury.
« Starting in 2027, you will receive information on all movements made during 2026 (…). It will be almost complete information,” the analyst said in a recent interview collected by CriptoNoticias.
Bravo Mateu stressed that “this information will be much more than what is requested by banks.” He argues that in the traditional banking system, balances above 250,000 euros are typically reported, but in the digital asset market, surveillance is absolute. “Even if you exchange 2 euros into a cryptocurrency, you cannot escape,” he declared.
Direct seizure and termination of anonymity
One of the most important aspects of the new regulation is that it gives authorities the power to intervene with taxpayer funds. Bravo warned him:
If you hold crypto assets or euros on an exchange located in Spain, the exchange will be able to seize them directly without the need for complicated preliminary procedures (from 2027).
José Antonio Bravo, Spanish tax economist.
The opinion states that under this legal framework, the Treasury Department could order suppliers to seize or liquidate assets necessary to resolve tax debts. Once automatic data exchange is enabled, this privilege will also be extended to European exchanges. Eliminates the possibility of hiding assets in other member states.
Conflicting visions: Surveillance or professionalization?
For Kyle Chassé, CEO of Master Ventures, this move marks the end of the phase of financial discretion on the continent.
“Cryptocurrency amnesty in Europe has been officially abolished,” he said on social media. He stressed that from January 1, 2026, “the EU has activated its most active surveillance tool to date.”
“At heart, it’s not just about transparency; it’s a structural trap. “We are witnessing the end of invisible private assets in Europe,” the expert said. “Data flows are now automated across borders,” he added.
On the contrary, artist and enthusiast Morteza Yousefi believes that this regulatory change is: Securely integrate digital assets into the global financial system.
«DAC8 will not destroy cryptocurrencies. “It professionalizes them,” he said. In his opinion, “transparency reduces existential risk” and the ecosystem “moves from an ‘alternative system’ to a regulated financial channel.”
Given this full transparency scenario, Bravo Mateu warns about the importance of privacy and the sovereign use of Bitcoin outside of centralized platforms, arguing: Certain anonymous acts are legal as long as they do not constitute normal economic activity.