Greece has entered the European Union's MiCA register for the first time, adding four providers. The register now includes BCash, Xenios Blockchain Group, Capital Wallet Greece, and Piraeus Bank. The update took place on Thursday, and there are currently 359 unique providers in the register, including six others from Germany, France, and Slovenia. Binance, the world's largest cryptocurrency exchange by trading volume, had the opportunity to become the first licensed MiCA provider in Greece. However, the exchange withdrew its application on June 24, before the Hellenic Capital Market Commission (HCMC) made an official decision. Nearly three months later, the Wall Street Journal reported that European Central Bank (ECB) President Christine Lagarde intervened to block the application. HCMC denies that its officials made such statements but does not provide further details.
In the first MiCA group, Greece shares control between the HCMC and the Bank of Greece. HCMC is responsible for BCash, Xenios Blockchain Group, and Capital Wallet Greece, while Piraeus Bank is overseen by the Bank of Greece. This model reflects the implementation of MiCA, allowing member states to appoint more than one competent authority and distribute regulatory powers among them.
On September 18, the Wall Street Journal reported that Lagarde intervened in Binance's application process after Greek officials indicated that HCMC intended to approve it. HCMC noted in a written response that no official made the stated remarks and that it had not received any communication about Binance's application from Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, his office, the Ministry of Finance, or other Greek government bodies. The regulator stated: "HCMC categorically rejects the claims attributed to it. No HCMC official had communication with ECB representatives on this matter, and none of the attributed statements were made by HCMC or its staff." When asked if this statement covered information that the HCMC vice-chairman made comments about Binance, the regulator confirmed that it did.
Related articles
