Greece Welcomes First MiCA Compliant Firms Amid Ongoing Binance Debate

Greece has added its first crypto-asset service providers to the EU's Markets in Crypto-Assets (MiCA) register, marking a new step in the country's rollout of Europe's sweeping crypto framework. The updated list now includes four Greek entities: BCash, Xenios Blockchain Group, Capital Wallet Greece and Piraeus Bank.

According to ESMA's updated listing, these newly added Greek providers are BCash, Xenios Blockchain Group, Capital Wallet Greece, and Piraeus Bank. ESMA's register update also brought six additional crypto-asset service providers from Germany, France, and Slovenia. With the new entries, the register totals 359 unique providers across the EU.

The Greek entries underscore how MiCA allows member states to split competent authority responsibilities. Greece's HCMC is listed as the competent authority for BCash, Xenios Blockchain Group, and Capital Wallet Greece, while Piraeus Bank is overseen by the Bank of Greece. This split reflects the way Greece implemented MiCA: EU rules allow member states to designate more than one competent authority and divide regulatory responsibilities between them.

The Hellenic Capital Market Commission (HCMC) has denied reported remarks attributed to it, which suggested that Greek officials were leaning toward approving Binance's application. According to the Wall Street Journal, ECB President Christine Lagarde intervened to block Binance's Greek foothold after remarks by Greek officials suggested HCMC was leaning toward approval.