France
June 4, 2026
7 min read
Last Updated: June 2026
1. Legal Status
Crypto mining is legal and is not subject to any mining-specific regulation. France regulates crypto-asset services through the PACTE-Act DASP (Digital Asset Service Provider) framework, now transitioning to MiCA. DASPs registered/licensed under national law before 30 December 2024 may continue operating under a transitional regime until 1 July 2026, by which point they must obtain a MiCA CASP authorisation from the AMF. No mining-specific restrictions exist beyond standard tax, energy, and business rules.
2. Tax Treatment
| Item | Treatment |
|---|---|
| Mining income | Non-commercial profits (BNC) — progressive income-tax rates up to 45% |
| Micro-BNC regime | Available if turnover <€83,600 (raised from €77,700 by the Finance Law for 2026): 34% flat-rate allowance (minimum €305) |
| Capital gains on disposal (occasional) | 31.4% flat tax / PFU (12.8% income tax + 18.6% social contributions) — raised from 30% on 1 Jan 2026 |
| Annual CGT exemption | Exempt if total annual fiat disposals do not exceed €305 |
| Wealth tax on crypto holdings | NOT VERIFIED as enacted — the proposed "impôt sur la fortune improductive" (IFI-improductif, 1% on assets incl. crypto over a threshold) was abandoned from the final Loi de finances 2026 (adopted via Article 49.3). Only the classic real-estate IFI (≥€1.3M) remains; crypto is not subject to a wealth tax in 2026 |
| DAC8 (Jan 2026) | CASPs must collect and report users' crypto-transaction data to tax authorities (first reporting due 2027); users who fail to provide tax info after two reminders face account blocking within 60 days |
Sources:
3. Energy & Environmental Considerations
France permits mining but places oversight on environmental impact and is exploring grid-balancing uses of surplus low-carbon (nuclear) electricity. A proposition de loi filed on 11 July 2025 by deputies of the Rassemblement National would establish a five-year experiment allowing energy producers to use surplus electricity to mine bitcoin (proposed pilot in Brittany, with a six-month State Council review), aiming to monetise excess nuclear production and reduce modulation cycles — proposed legislation, not enacted. In February 2026, the French government approved the sale of a majority stake in EDF subsidiary Exaion (high-performance computing/mining infrastructure) to US bitcoin miner MARA Holdings (~$168M), subject to national-interest conditions.
Hashrate / energy-consumption figures: NO France-specific industry-reported mining hashrate or energy-consumption data located from a primary methodology source (e.g. Cambridge CBECI/CCAF). NOT VERIFIED. Industry commentary notes very few firms mine at scale in France.
4. Assessment
What Works Well
- Micro-BNC regime: Simplified flat-rate treatment (34% allowance) for small-scale miners reduces compliance burden
- Clear classification: BNC categorization of mining rewards provides certainty
- Energy-policy interest: Active legislative/industry interest in pairing mining with surplus nuclear power for grid balancing
What Doesn't Work Well
- Rising disposal tax: The flat tax on capital gains rose to 31.4% on 1 Jan 2026 (from 30%) via the higher CSG, increasing the cost of converting mined inventory to fiat
- High flat tax rate: 31.4% on capital gains is relatively high compared to Germany's 0% after a 1-year holding period
5. Recent Developments
- 2026-02-20 — Micro-BNC threshold raised to €83,600. The Loi de finances pour 2026, published in the Journal Officiel on 20 February 2026, revalues the micro-BNC turnover threshold to €83,600 (from €77,700) for fiscal years 2026–2028; the 34% allowance (minimum €305) is unchanged. (Service-Public Entreprendre — micro regime)
- 2026-02 — Crypto excluded from the abandoned "fortune improductive" tax. The proposed IFI-improductif (1% on unproductive assets including crypto over a threshold) was removed from the final Loi de finances 2026, which was adopted via Article 49.3; crypto holdings are not subject to any wealth tax in 2026. (Journal du Coin, 2nd Market — Réforme IFI 2026)
- 2026-02-21 — EDF/Exaion stake sale to MARA Holdings. France approved the sale of a majority stake in EDF's HPC/mining subsidiary Exaion to US bitcoin miner MARA Holdings (~$168M) with national-interest conditions. (CoinDesk)
- 2026-01-01 — Flat tax (PFU) rose to 31.4%. Social contributions on capital income increased from 17.2% to 18.6% (CSG +1.4 points) under the LFSS/PLFSS 2026, raising the crypto-disposal flat tax from 30% to 31.4% (12.8% income tax + 18.6% social). (Fibo — Flat Tax 31.4%)
- 2026-01-01 — DAC8 reporting in force. France's transposition of Council Directive 2023/2226 (DAC8) requires CASPs to collect and report users' crypto-transaction data from 1 January 2026 (first reporting due 2027); non-responsive users face account blocking within 60 days after two reminders. (EU Commission — DAC8)
- 2025-07-11 — Surplus-electricity bitcoin mining bill (context). A proposition de loi proposing a five-year experiment to use surplus (nuclear) electricity for bitcoin mining was filed in the National Assembly — proposed, not enacted. (Bitcoin Magazine)
6. Verification Notes
- Correction (wealth tax): Prior version stated a "New wealth tax (Jan 2026): 1% on 'unproductive wealth' over €2M, including crypto holdings" as enacted. This is incorrect. The IFI-improductif including crypto was abandoned from the final Loi de finances 2026 (adopted via Article 49.3, December 2025); only the classic real-estate IFI (≥€1.3M) remains and crypto is not subject to it. Corrected in §2 and §5. Sources: Journal du Coin, 2nd Market.
- Correction (flat tax): Prior version stated "30% flat tax (12.8% income + 17.2% social contributions)". As of 1 Jan 2026 the rate is 31.4% (12.8% income + 18.6% social) following the LFSS/PLFSS 2026 CSG increase. Corrected in §2 and §4. Source: Fibo.
- Correction (micro-BNC threshold): Prior version stated "<€77,700". The Loi de finances pour 2026 (JO 20 Feb 2026) raised the micro-BNC threshold to €83,600 for FY2026–2028; the 34% allowance (min €305) is unchanged. Corrected in §2. Source: Service-Public Entreprendre.
- Clarification (DAC8): Prior version said users face "transaction blocks within 60 days". The DAC8/CARF mechanism is account/relationship blocking (after two unanswered reminders), not transaction-level blocking. Wording clarified in §2.
- CGT €305 exemption: Verified — the €305 threshold is assessed on total annual fiat disposals/gains, not per transaction.
- Mining as BNC up to 45%: Verified — crypto mining rewards are taxed as non-commercial profits (BNC) under the progressive scale up to 45%; the PFU/flat-tax option does not apply to mining income. Source: Koinly/CMS commentary corroborated by multiple French guides (primary DGFiP doctrine not directly fetched).
- MiCA transition: Verified — national DASP regime continues until 1 July 2026 for pre-2024 providers pending MiCA CASP authorisation. Source: Global Legal Insights — France 2026.
- Hashrate/energy data: NOT VERIFIED — no France-specific, primary-methodology (CBECI/CCAF) mining hashrate or energy-consumption figures located. Flagged in §3.
- Removed the prior Koinly source link (returned HTTP 403 on fetch / not independently confirmable at fetch time); retained CMS and added directly-verifiable government and EU sources plus the dated developments above.