MiCA and DAC8: What Data Exchanges Report

The register of MiCA-authorised exchanges grows every month. Many users see it as a simple licence, but its scope is wider: it defines who may offer crypto-asset services in Europe and, together with DAC8, it reinforces tax transparency. Here we explain what data exchanges report and why it matters to you.

1. What MiCA is and why it matters

MiCA (Markets in Crypto-Assets) is the European regulation that creates a single framework for crypto-asset services across the Union. Its main goals are to:

• Protect investors and consumers.
• Safeguard market integrity and financial stability.
• Prevent money laundering and terrorist financing.
• Make supervision and information sharing between authorities easier.

To operate legally, an exchange must be authorised by the competent authority of its home member state. That authorisation allows it to passport services across the EU, but also subjects it to reporting, custody, disclosure and anti-money-laundering rules.

2. What DAC8 is and how it connects to MiCA

DAC8 (the eighth revision of the Directive on Administrative Cooperation) extends the automatic exchange of tax information to crypto-asset service providers, so member states can see the activity of their residents.

DAC8 is not part of MiCA, but it leans on it: once authorised providers are identified, states know exactly who must report. Together, both frameworks end the fiscal opacity of crypto in Europe.

3. The data exchanges report

When an authorised exchange reports to the tax authority of your country under DAC8, it normally sends:

• Identification data: name, address, tax identification number and country of residence.
• Balances: the value of positions at the end of each reporting period.
• Deposits and withdrawals: totals in both crypto and fiat.
• Transactions: a summary of activity and, in some cases, transfers between providers.
• Beneficial owners: ownership information for corporate accounts.

This data does not replace your tax return, but it lets the authority spot inconsistencies between what was reported and what you declared.

4. What it means for the average user

If you use a MiCA-authorised exchange, your tax authority will most likely have access to your data. That is not a problem if you report correctly, but it is worth reviewing:

• Sales, swaps or payments in crypto missing from your tax return.
• Holdings abroad that should appear in a foreign-asset declaration.
• Staking, lending or airdrop income left undeclared.
• Use of several exchanges without a consolidated transaction log.

5. How to check whether your exchange is authorised

The official source is the ESMA register, but you can also use our MiCA exchange search, which updates automatically and lets you filter by country, service type and authorisation date. To learn how to declare those movements, read the 2026 crypto tax guide.

Conclusion

MiCA and DAC8 work in parallel: one regulates who may operate in Europe, the other what tax information is shared. In practice, using an authorised exchange means your tax authority will know about your activity. On top of tax reporting there is a second data layer: the Travel Rule applied to transfers.

Frequently asked questions