Accounting for crypto-assets approved for credit institutions

A decree of August 12, 2026 (NOR ECOT2617843A), published in the Official Journal of the French Republic No. 0205 on September 3, 2026, approves four regulations from the Accounting Standards Authority (ANC). Among them is a new title dedicated to the accounting of crypto-assets and similar instruments, which will be mandatory for banks and credit institutions.

The text, signed by the Ministry of Economy, Finance, and Industrial, Energy, and Digital Sovereignty, endorses regulations ANC No. 2026-01 and No. 2026-02 of January 9, 2026, No. 2026-03 of March 6, 2026, and No. 2026-04 of May 4, 2026, as annexed to the decree.

A New Title on Crypto-Assets

The decree inserts a Title 11 “Crypto-assets and similar instruments” into Book II of regulation ANC No. 2014-03 relating to the general accounting plan. This title applies to crypto-assets as defined by Regulation (EU) 2023/1114 (MiCA) as well as similar elements using the technologies referred to in Article L. 226-1 of the Monetary and Financial Code.

The framework distinguishes several categories of operations:

• electronic money tokens, recorded as liabilities on the issuer’s balance sheet for the debt representing the redemption value;
• held crypto-assets, recorded as assets at their acquisition price, excluding costs, with impairment of unrealized losses per line;
• trading crypto-assets, valued at the most recent market price, with variations recorded in the income statement;
• loans and borrowings of crypto-assets, with the recording of a receivable for the lender and a redemption debt for the borrower;
• forward financial instruments with crypto-assets as underlyings, subject to Title 5 of Book II.

Strengthened Disclosure Obligations

Issuers and holders of crypto-assets must provide, in the notes to their annual accounts, a description of each issuance, the attached rights and obligations, the methods for accounting for income and expenses, as well as the evolution of the quotation on the secondary market. Crypto-asset service providers (CASPs) and digital asset service providers (PSAN) must specifically mention crypto-assets held for the account of third parties and indexed redemption debts.

Entry into Force

The regulation applies to accounts for financial years beginning on or after January 1, 2027. It may be applied retrospectively, from its publication in the Official Journal, to financial years in progress on that date. In the event that it is impossible to retrospectively define the intended use of the rights attached to a crypto-asset, the entity shall define it on the application date and reclassify the asset on the opening balance sheet without modifying its value.

For banks and credit institutions, this approval ends a period of accounting uncertainty regarding digital assets by aligning French rules with the European MiCA framework. It mandates rigorous valuation, the impairment of unrealized losses, and increased transparency in the notes to the financial statements—constraints that must be integrated into financial information systems starting from the 2027 fiscal year.

Official source: Decree of August 12, 2026, approving ANC regulations No. 2026-01, No. 2026-02, No. 2026-03, and No. 2026-04 of the Accounting Standards Authority, NOR ECOT2617843A, published in JORF No. 0205 of September 3, 2026 (text JORFTEXT000054791025).