January 2, 2026

Crypto’s Not So Secret Anymore

Welcome to the post-anonymous era

Remember when buying crypto felt like slipping into a speakeasy—you, a pseudonym, and a digital dream of sovereignty? Fast forward to today: the bouncer at the door is HMRC, and they've got a clipboard.

This week, the BBC reported that UK crypto users will now be required to disclose their account details to HMRC. It’s all in the name of ensuring people pay tax on crypto trading. Sounds logical, right? But there’s a bigger play here, and for anyone hiring in the tech, fintech, or data space—this matters more than you might think.

Let’s dig into what happens when you mix regulation, innovation, and a touch of paranoia. Spoiler: it’s not just crypto bros getting sweaty.

Why this matters beyond Bitcoin

If you’re a CTO at a growing fintech or a COO wrangling data complexity, here’s why HMRC sniffing around wallets is more than a headline—it’s a hiring signal.

As regulation ramps up, compliance isn’t just a finance function. It gets baked into architecture, product design, and dev ops models. You’ll need engineers who understand secure identity mapping, data teams who can monitor KYC/AML workflows, and product people who play nice with legal.

So the impact? It's a ripple that hits talent needs like:

• Data engineers fluent in traceability, not just scalability
• Security specialists who think beyond perimeter defence
• Product managers who speak both API and GDPR

The move by HMRC isn’t just about tax—it’s about shifting digital responsibility onto platforms. And that requires whole-team adaptation.

The end of 'anonymous by default'

The internet was designed for openness; crypto promised anonymity. Those days are over. Now it's traceability, by design. Transaction privacy? Optional. Data disclosures? Mandatory. The implication for businesses is simple:

If you're touching crypto infrastructure—or working adjacent to it—you need teams that know how to bake privacy hygiene into every technical decision. No more 'build fast, fix compliance later' vibes. That ship (and maybe some altcoin portfolios) has sailed.

This also hits the wider tech hiring scene. Candidates with crypto backgrounds can't just bring their Web3 swagger—they need maturity, judgment, and ideally, a love for documentation (yes, we’re unicorn-hunting).

From wild west to regulated frontier

Armchair anarchists will call this the beginning of the end. I’d argue it’s the opposite—it’s crypto growing up. And with that comes serious business infrastructure. Your next engineer might be working on a tax reporting API. Your BI team might be reconstructing wallet transaction histories. It’s no longer “finance-adjacent.” It is finance.

There’s opportunity here.

The best companies will double down on:

• Building compliant user flows without crushing experience
• Hiring talent who see crypto through both a technical and legal lens
• Creating resilient teams that can adapt to changing rules fast

None of that happens with last year’s hiring playbook.

So what should you actually do?

Here’s where it gets practical. Whether you’re hiring your first crypto-adjacent role or scaling a wallet-focused platform, ask these questions internally:

• Do we have the in-house expertise to interpret incoming regulation?
• Can our current infrastructure adapt to compliance requirements fast?
• Are our engineers coached on privacy, not just performance?
• What’s our bench strength in KYC, AML, and tax flow knowledge?

If you blinked and realised your team’s been built for speed, not scrutiny—it might be time for a rethink. Start with your next few hires. Build for clarity, not just cleverness.

Conclusion: No more hiding in the ledger

Look, I'm all for innovation. Crypto shook up the status quo with swagger, but now the grown-ups have entered the room with spreadsheets. HMRC demanding user info is just the beginning.

Hiring for the next wave of tech means understanding how finance, privacy, and compliance are intertwining. And if you're still trying to find someone who loves blockchain but also loves documenting data governance flows—you're not mad. You're just early. And you're my kind of person.

Need help hiring people who get both ends of the chain? You know where to find me.

Back to news