Bull Bitcoin, a Bitcoin exchange licensed under MiCA by the French regulator AMF, has filed a lawsuit with the French Council of State, the country's highest administrative court. The company is seeking the annulment of Decree No. 2025-1276, which transposes the European DAC8 directive on tax reporting for crypto assets into French law.
Bull Bitcoin, which positions itself as the world's oldest non-custodial exchange operating exclusively with Bitcoin, has no intention of accepting what it calls "mass surveillance." The essence of the complaint: from January 1, 2026, DAC8 will require all European crypto asset service providers (CASPs) to systematically collect and transmit data on the identity and transactions of millions of users to tax authorities. This information will then be automatically shared among the fiscal authorities of member states.
What is the main danger, according to Bull Bitcoin?
The company points to the creation of a centralized database that links a user's legal identity, home address, and complete transaction history. This database will even include transactions that have no relation to taxation. Against the backdrop of daily data leaks and the increasing number of kidnappings of crypto asset holders, such a database, according to Bull Bitcoin, poses a direct threat to the physical safety of millions of cryptocurrency holders and their families. It becomes a "goldmine" for malicious actors, including government officials who have access to it.
The exchange's management emphasizes that the information will be accessible to tax administrations of many countries, far beyond France. Given precedents of government data leaks, internal corruption, and illegal resale of information, Bull Bitcoin raises a reasonable question: do users really want their personal data to be available to numerous third parties from other states?
Management's position and plans
Bull Bitcoin CEO Francis Pouliot called DAC8 a transformation of the "know your customer" (KYC) concept into "kill your customer." The company intends to use all legal means to suspend, delay, repeal, or amend the implementation of DAC8 and its global counterpart, the CARF standard.
On February 24, 2026, the exchange filed a preliminary motion with the French Council of State, followed by a detailed complaint outlining the full grounds. Pouliot stated that someone must draw a line and take a principled stand, and since no one else is ready or able to do so, this mission has fallen to Bull Bitcoin.
My expert opinion: This lawsuit is not just a legal formality but a landmark precedent. Bull Bitcoin is challenging the very spirit of regulatory consensus in the EU, questioning not technical details but fundamental rights to privacy and security. If the court rules in favor of the exchange, it could seriously slow down the implementation of DAC8 and force regulators to reconsider the balance between tax control and personal data protection. This case is worth watching for everyone who uses cryptocurrencies in Europe.