The EU AI Act will become fully applicable by August 2026, and governments worldwide are mandating local data storage and restricting cross-border transfers. In 2026, many countries set strict rules for cross-border data transfer and prohibit unlawful third-country access.
Meanwhile, cloud accounting vendors are scrambling to comply with new regulations. As a Beancount user, I sleep soundly knowing my financial data never leaves my machine.
The Privacy Advantage of Plain Text
Your Beancount ledger is just text files on your local filesystem. No cloud sync unless you choose it. No third-party servers processing your transactions. No data residency compliance headaches.
When regulators ask where your data is stored, the answer is simple: my laptop and my encrypted backups.
What Cloud Accounting Exposes
When you use cloud accounting software, your data typically:
- Transits through the internet
- Resides on servers you do not control
- May be processed by AI categorization services
- Could be accessed under foreign jurisdiction
Under PIPL, personal data gathered from individuals in China must be stored within the country. GDPR restricts transfers outside the EU without adequate protections. Your cloud provider may not comply.
My Local-First Setup
~/finances/
main.beancount # Main ledger
accounts.beancount # Account definitions
prices.beancount # Asset prices
importers/ # Custom import scripts
documents/ # Receipts and statements
.git/ # Version control
Backups go to:
- Local encrypted Time Machine
- Encrypted external drive (offsite monthly)
- Optional: encrypted repo on private server
Never to: Dropbox, Google Drive, or any cloud sync without end-to-end encryption.
Version Control as Audit Trail
Git gives me something cloud accounting cannot: a complete, cryptographically verified history of every change.
git log --oneline -10
git blame accounts.beancount
git diff HEAD~5 main.beancount
When regulators ask why was this transaction categorized this way, git blame answers instantly. Cloud AI tools cannot provide the same transparency.
Cross-Border Considerations
If you travel or have assets in multiple jurisdictions:
; Tag transactions by jurisdiction for compliance
2026-01-15 * "German income" #jurisdiction-DE
Income:Consulting:Germany -5000 EUR
Assets:Bank:DBBank:EUR 5000 EUR
2026-01-20 * "US expense" #jurisdiction-US
Expenses:Travel:Flights 450 USD
Assets:Bank:Chase:USD -450 USD
Query by jurisdiction when needed:
SELECT SUM(position) WHERE #jurisdiction-DE
The Tradeoff
Local-first means more responsibility:
- You handle backups
- You manage security
- No automatic bank sync (though importers help)
- No mobile app (unless you build one)
For me, the privacy and control are worth it.
Questions
- What is your backup strategy for local financial data?
- Anyone using encrypted cloud sync like Cryptomator?
- How do you handle the mobile access problem?