Crypto Tax Non-Compliance Could Top 90% Before France’s 2027 Rules: Chainalysis

Highlights:

• Chainalysis estimates France had $9.4B in potentially taxable Crypto Tax activity in 2025.
• France will gain more crypto transaction data when DAC8 reporting exchanges begin in 2027.
• Self-custody and DeFi can still create gaps in Tax reporting for crypto users.

Chainalysis, a blockchain analysis firm, has reported that crypto tax non-compliance may exceed 90% in some countries. The warning comes as France prepares to share more crypto transaction data with tax authorities from next year. Chainalysis estimates that French crypto users generated $9.4 billion in potentially taxable activity last year. France ranked 13th among the countries included in the study.

Chainalysis Says Crypto Tax Non-Compliance May Top 90% Ahead of France’s 2027 Reporting Regime

Chainalysis said crypto tax non-compliance may exceed 90% in some countries, as France prepares to receive far more detailed crypto transaction data from 2027 under the EU’s DAC8… pic.twitter.com/c2O4cRfPKp

— Wu Blockchain (@WuBlockchain) September 8, 2026

The $9.4 billion estimate includes $1.7 billion in crypto income and $2.5 billion in capital gains. It also includes $5.2 billion in crypto payments linked to merchant services and peer-to-peer activity. Chainalysis included mining, staking, lending and gambling when calculating crypto income. The company also included trading activity from centralized and decentralized exchanges when estimating gains.

About 24,000 French taxpayers reported €368 million in crypto capital gains for the 2024 tax year. Roughly 7,700 taxpayers reported €150.8 million in gains during 2023. The reports cover reported capital gains, while Chainalysis’ estimate covers income, gains and payments. The figures also cover different tax years.

Chainalysis did not say that more than 90% of French crypto taxes went unpaid. The company cited a Swedish tax authority study when discussing non-compliance above 90%. That finding does not establish France’s own crypto tax compliance rate.

France Prepares for Wider Tax Reporting

DAC8 began applying across the European Union on January 1. The rules require crypto service providers to collect customer and transaction data for reportable activity. EU tax authorities will begin exchanging information from the first reporting year by September 30, 2027.

France will also work within the OECD’s Crypto-Asset Reporting Framework, known as CARF. The framework aims to improve the exchange of crypto transaction data between tax authorities. DAC8 and CARF will give authorities more information from reporting crypto platforms. French authorities can use the new records to compare crypto activity with taxpayer declarations.

France currently applies a 31.4% rate to net capital gains from digital asset sales. The new reporting data could help authorities review whether taxpayers report their crypto gains correctly. However, the rules will not directly capture every crypto transaction.

Chainalysis Flags Gaps in Crypto Tax Data

Chainalysis estimates that potentially taxable on-chain crypto activity reached at least $457 billion globally last year. The study covered Bitcoin, Ethereum, Solana, Tron, BNB Smart Chain and Base. Chainalysis used location signals and service data to estimate where crypto activity occurred. However, public blockchains do not show every transaction inside centralized exchanges.

Chainalysis says this limitation may cause its estimates to miss some economic activity. Self-custody wallets create another reporting gap because users can move assets without centralized crypto providers. DeFi platforms, decentralized exchanges, and peer-to-peer transfers can create similar challenges for tax authorities. These transactions may make it harder to connect wallet activity with individual taxpayers.

Chainalysis estimates that CARF could cover only about 14% of potentially taxable on-chain activity worldwide. The low figure of 14% shows that new reporting rules will not capture every crypto transaction. Cost-basis records create another challenge because platforms may not know when users bought their assets. Tax authorities may need additional records to calculate the actual gains from those sales.

Chainalysis: Global On-Chain Taxable Crypto Activity Reached at Least $457 Billion in 2025

Chainalysis estimates that global on-chain potentially taxable crypto activity reached at least $457 billion in 2025, led by the United States at $112.6 billion. The total includes… pic.twitter.com/tZ80rxhsuA

— Wu Blockchain (@WuBlockchain) August 26, 2026