Why Experts Are Raising Alarms Over the Future of Crypto Privacy

The crypto community is raising concerns about privacy as new crypto tax reporting frameworks come into force in 2026, leading to increased regulatory oversight of digital asset activity worldwide.

A total of 48 countries have implemented the Crypto-Asset Reporting Framework (CARF) this year, while the European Union’s DAC8 law has also gone into effect.

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Understanding CARF and DAC8

For context, the OECD developed the CARF framework. It is a global tax transparency standard designed to ensure that tax authorities receive information on crypto-asset transactions in a standardized and automated way, similar to how the Common Reporting Standard (CRS) works for traditional financial accounts.

This framework requires in-scope service providers to collect expanded customer data, determine and verify users’ tax residency, and submit periodic reports to domestic tax authorities detailing reportable crypto-asset transactions and related proceeds.

The participating jurisdictions then exchange the reported data under international information-sharing agreements. On January 1, 48 countries, including the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Japan, South Korea, and Brazil, implemented the framework. The first annual reports are due in 2027.

Meanwhile, the European Commission’s DAC8 directive also took effect at the beginning of the year. Although CARF and DAC8 pursue similar objectives, they differ in scope, implementation, and the extent of their jurisdictional reach.

DAC8 mandates crypto-asset reporting across all 27 EU member states. It requires crypto-asset service providers to collect and report detailed user and transaction data to national tax authorities.

These authorities then exchange the information across the EU. Companies have been granted a six-month transition period, until July 1, 2026, to achieve full compliance. The first report is due within nine months after the end of the initial fiscal year covered by the directive, i.e., between January 1 and September 30, 2027.

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While the initiatives aim to promote fair and efficient taxation, they have also become a cause for concern among the community. Market watcher, Heidi, claimed that the EU’s DAC8 has “ended crypto privacy.”

Social media personality Bernie said the issue goes beyond taxation. She argued that the initiative represents a worldwide regulatory structure, introduced without direct public approval, aimed at creating an extensively monitored digital financial system.

Beyond privacy, DAC8 enforcement carries serious implications for crypto users. BeInCrypto highlighted that many users were facing difficulties with tax reporting as activity across multiple blockchains and platforms increases.

Reconciling transactions across multiple wallets, blockchains, and exchanges can be challenging, which may sometimes result in potential errors. Under DAC8, if authorities identify tax avoidance or evasion, they are empowered to act in coordination with other EU member states. This collaboration can extend to freezing or seizing crypto assets.

Thus, the introduction of CARF and DAC8 marks a significant shift toward global crypto tax transparency, but it comes at the cost of personal privacy and increased compliance complexity. As these frameworks take effect, crypto users worldwide will need to navigate stricter reporting requirements while balancing the desire for privacy with the realities of regulatory oversight.